Resurgent - Divergent Alternate Universe Story
by franzkappus
Summary: A few years have passed since the events at the Bureau and Tris, now 19, living in newly reformed Chicago with Tobias and her loved ones, seeks to find peace or something like it for themselves. But when two strangers come with a chilling warning, peace it seems, will have to wait. Can Tris, Tobias, and their friends stop these haunting visions of the future before they come?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

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"What exactly am I looking for?" I scan the screens throughly but quickly darting through each image with quick clicks on the keyboard beneath my fingertips. The images are similar and strange. Some with words and others with pictures of groups of people, but none of it makes any sense. I stop briefly over a plan for efficient city sewage usage and I feel my annoyance make my neck stiffen.

"You should see some sort of city record. It should be there, remember he said it would." came the slow, careful voice through the earpiece wedged in my right ear.

I roll my eyes and sigh as I flip through more and more images of blueprints and programs. I look over my shoulder at the dark metal door with peeling olive green paint shut tight. I bolted the lock just to be careful, but I still do not want to linger here long. It wouldn't be much longer before the guards I hit with the Sleeping Serum grenades will wake. I used a low dosage, but still I don't want to take any chances. I tap the computer three more times, my impatience growing, when I finally stop and go back three spaces to a list with names on it.

The air inside the dark room with only the screen illuminating the space is cold and quiet. I hear a slight hum from the monitor and then the image jumps a little. I scan the list and it takes only moments to find the name I need. I feel myself grinning as I press my fingertips into the earpiece.

"I'm in."

"Good" he says to me. "Now you should get out of there, I think the backup alarms just activated and you'll only have about five minutes before the police show up. Won't be pretty."

I tap the screen and drag the file onto a folder on the desktop. It transfers and I yank the small, rectangular flash drive out of the side of the keyboard. I'm not worried about the police, but I also don't want an unnecessary fight on my hands either. I walk toward the metal door and glance back at the computer. I feel my heart pound a little in my palms and I can't help but think about the moments ahead.

As I step out into the hallway, it is long and flooded with dim yellow fluorescent light. The guards I inoculated are slumped against the adjacent walls, their bodies still in a slight stand or lean. Some of them are completely passed out on the dingy tan carpet, breathing softly through their gaping mouths. I don't hear them, but I know the alarms have been set off. I disabled the main system, but with the new overrides Chicago has in place, I knew it wouldn't be long before they'd turn on again. No matter, I have what I came for.

I stride past the guards and into the stairwell, rising up three flights toward another door. The stairs smell like sawdust and drying paint, stale and strong. Then I hear the muffle of rushed voices beneath me. I waste no more time and shove through the door and find myself on the roof. The night air is cool and wraps around my skin. Even in my long sleeves, I feel the goosebumps protrude on my flesh and I shiver. I shut the door behind me and see a long broken and rusted metal bar to my right. I grab it, feeling the rough texture under my palms and shove it through the door handle, blocking it from being opened…briefly. I know it won't hold. I see the train track in the distance, about seven rooftops over and I must make it there.

Even back now, they still stop for no one. Well, I guess it's not as bad as I used to hear it was. Chicago is different now, it has gained some of it's…civility, if that's the word to use. I hear angry voices behind me through the door and then the shoves come. I rush toward the edge of the roof and leap across to the next one, just before the bar is broken and three officers burst out. They look madly around the roof and one of them I recognize as Amar with his dark skin and long locked hair. I dive around a air vent and watch their feet as I stay low.

Amar says something to the other two officers, one who is tall with a wide nose and thin lips. He looks confused and angry all at the same time, while the officer to his right is searching around for any sign of an intruder. I cannot see his face, but I can tell he is shorter and stockier, thin ink lines running across the side of his neck. Former Dauntless, I think to myself as I hold my breath. The factions may be extinct, but their denizens are not, at least not physically. Even Amar in his black cargo pants and tall, thick soled boots are reminiscent of the Dauntless instructor he once was. Even now, he is still the same. There's a part of me that shouldn't be expecting different, but it's interesting being here in this glimpse of a photograph.

It is the city I know and am used to, but it hasn't been touched yet with shadows or conflict. Conflict, I hope, I can prevent from coming to fruition. They eventually leave the roof and go back inside and I breathe. My hair flies around my face in the night breeze and I pull it out of my eyes. I stand up and face the next rooftop. I hear his voice come into my ear and he asked, concern feeling his speech.

"You okay?"

"Yes, stop worrying. I'm on my way back."

"Alright, but be careful. Use the glasses when you get on the train."

"Those stupid things." I mutter. "I suppose. No one will even notice me."

"You have a pretty familiar face." He says darkly.

"Please, it technically doesn't exist yet." I chuckle as I flip forward and land on my feet on to the train platform. I got here faster than I thought.

"Stop with the acrobatics." He hisses into my ear, making me cringe at the volume.

"Jeez, you really got the Stiff gene bad."

He says nothing for a moment. "Well, our genes are strong. See you when you get back."

He hangs up and I am left standing on the train platform alone. The last train would be coming in two minutes and although few people ever seldom ride it, it will come. I think of tomorrow and how everything is about to begin. How everything will be difficult, but wonderful at the same time. All because I found her. I found them. But her first.

Beatrice Prior.

**Keep reading, and please leave reviews! Exciting things to come! **


	2. Chapter 2

**I'll be adding more chapters tonight! Please review if you want and enjoy reading.**

Chapter Two

Tobias

I wake to the smell of chocolate chip muffins fresh out of the oven and the sounds of Tris' muffled heaves into the toilet behind the bathroom door. I push myself out of the bed with the dark sheets that cover the doubled mattress. Her side is messy and her pillow is nearly draped on the floor. I can smell her hair rising on the cover and on the blankets. It smells of sweat, soap, and honeysuckle, from the homemade shampoo and conditioner Christina brought her last week from the old Amity headquarters. It may not be a faction now, but the farming and marketplace didn't stop.

Our bedroom is flooded by the soft and dusty sunlight peeking through the makeshift drapes we made from the tarp of a truck. They are worn and frayed at the bottom from Tris' jagged cutting, but they function just as well. Over to my right I see the small alarm clock with it's black face and neon green numbers read six-forty five. I could've gotten another fifteen minutes of sleep, but something stirred me awake. Walking toward the wooden bathroom door with it's creme colored panels and golden knob slightly ajar, I see Tris on her knees, hair blonde and wild over her head. Even after all these years, she is still small like from when I first met her. She's a little taller and much stronger, but I still see the girl who jumped first onto the net in Dauntless. I smile a little. I can't help it. A lot has changed since then.

I walk up behind her as she coughs into the bowl of the toilet, spitting and snorting between each heave. She jumps slightly when I place my fingers on her hair, holding it toward the side so it won't float into the bowl.

"Tobias…leave. I don't want you seeing this." her voice comes muddled from the bowl. I chuckle a little as I watch her rise and I move out her way. Her white henley shirt is damp on the back from sweat and shows in small moist patches. She doesn't look at me as she takes a wad of toilet paper and wipes her mouth and nose. Her bright eyes are watering and red, but still so beautiful to me, even in this moment.

"In sickness and in health, remember?" I say taking a washcloth from the linen shelf. I walk over to her and hold her small narrow chin up to me. She smiles weakly at me and I grin back, kissing her forehead. I wipe her glistening cheeks and neck, but she takes it from me, thanking me softly.

"I'm gonna shower, breakfast is on the table. I won't be long. I don't want you late again." she says taking off the damp shirt and throwing it on the floor near the glass shower doors.

"Johanna doesn't care. Besides, I can stay home today, if you're sick. What happened?"

Tris shakes her head in defiance and says "No. Go to work Tobias. I'm still going. I don't know what happened. I was taking the muffins out of the oven and suddenly I felt so light-headed. I could barely put them on the plate and pour the orange juice before I was running in here. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

I look at her slightly sinewy frame and small chest covered by the black bra and feel my chest get warm. My heart jumps a little in my throat and I breathe. She still does that to me. I stare a little too long and her eyes dart from the floor as she chews her bottom lip and then up to me. She sniffs and asks nervously "What?"

I smile and say "Nothing. You sure you don't want to stay home?"

I move a little closer to her and she laughs putting her hands up to stop me from progressing further.

"Oh no." Tris says carrying the last syllable in a songlike voice. "I know what you're playing at Tobias, it won't work. Besides my breath smells horrible and the room still feels like it's tilting. I wouldn't be much fun today. Especially for that."

I sigh and grin. Even after being married for nearly for six months now, sex is something she shrinks a little from. I don't press her, but I know there's always that lingering fear within her. But when she swallows that fear and let's go, we have a lot of fun. Beautiful moments. Wonderful moments.

"Don't look so down, Four. You've been on me all week." Tris smirks as she steps out of the black cotton sleep shorts. I feel my palms gather with sweat and I have to turn away before my body becomes a light any further. She laughs as I exit the bathroom and then I hear the shower head come on. The water jets against the wall and steam soon billows like a ghost from the crack. I head out of the bedroom into the narrow hallway of our apartment. The sun has risen now, but still cast a sleepy light throughout the place. The small storage room down the hall and to the left is open slightly and I suck my teeth in irritation. I just fixed the door last week and it still won't stay shut completely. Ever since we came back in the city I took up some mechanical skills. They were offering a couple of classes near the Hancock building and Caleb had given me some books he found about appliances, cars, and everyday fixes. They were old, but were valuable. I learned quickly.

I pushed the door closed and within several seconds it creaked open again. I saw grey buckets with tight black lids peek out slightly. Some of them held Tris and I's winter clothes and other were of random valuables from over the years. I walked into the kitchen and saw the small pile of muffins on the chipped blue ceramic plate. We had found the set for nearly dirt cheap at the marketplace near Navy Pier. We got most of our furniture there too, a lot of it for free because during the reform most of the faction headquarters had been raided and also because we stopped the memory reset from happening. A lot of Johanna and the now defunct Allegiant were running these small marketplaces for people coming in and out of the city. But I like to think we got first dibs at the good stuff.

I sit down in one of the old metal Erudite classroom chairs around the small circular table Tris and I eat at. It's weathered and has small carvings on the surface. The chair scrapes the dark wooden floor beneath me as I shift my body to get more comfortable. The muffins are still quite warm when I pick one up and I smell the cocoa powder Tris always adds to them. It is reminiscent of the Dauntless cake we used to fill ourselves with and I close my eyes remembering the days. Even after three years, their influence still lingers within us. It was shocking to discover that the faction system was nothing more than an experiment the Bureau of Genetic Welfare had in place, that it was all a lie and the United States government had all kinds of these experiments over the country. I wondered about places beyond the Fringe, I wondered about the different colored states I saw on Peter's maps awhile back. I wondered if there even more people who were trying to free themselves from the lie.

Tris tells me that changes comes gradually and I believed her. But I still couldn't help but feel like we were still being strung along. That something else was soon approaching. That there was another lie we were being wrapped in. After all, she stopped David, but nearly died from him shooting her. I thought she was gone forever. I remember seeing her body in the hospital bed, day after day, counting her breaths as if they would end. They almost did. Her coma lasted almost a year. I remember the doctors pulling Caleb and myself aside, asking us to make our decision to pull her off life support. Caleb, I thought, would say yes because technically he's her next of kin. Her only next of kin, by blood at least. He looked at me, I cannot forget the day, and said "I won't let her end like this, Tobias."

Though I knew there was a strong possibility of Tris never coming back. Coming back to me, I couldn't just abandon her or our memories. After five months, a few folks encouraged me to see the possibility of moving on, of seeing that her life wouldn't be any good this way. To pull the plug. What's scary is, I almost considered it. I almost considered letting her sleep forever. I couldn't though. I couldn't let her end like that. She proved me wrong about four months later. I wasn't by her side when she woke up, Christina was. I was in the city working for Johanna on the reconstruction when Caleb burst into our offices.

"She's awake." He gasped, faced flushed cherry red and sweaty. "She's awake." he repeated.

That was almost a year and a half ago. Tris spent sometime in physical therapy in the Bureau and I told Johanna I would help from afar outside the city. I couldn't be away from her. No. Not anymore.

As I open my eyes I feel nimble and small arms wrap around my shoulders and her lips touch my cheek. I breathe in her scent of soap and honeysuckle. Her hair is still slightly damp from the shower and it is shorter now than it was when I first met her. It used to touch the top middle of her back, now it is near the nape of neck. Her frame is clad in my black sweater from when I stopped Peter, Drew, and Al from throwing her into the chasm many years ago during initiation. It is still slightly too big on her and there are small holes from moths eating away at it and other snags in the cotton. I watch her lean against the kitchen sink, gripping the edge with both her palms. Tris twist her neck as if it is stiff on the right and then sighs deeply.

"Feeling better?" I say putting butter on my muffin.

She pauses and shifts her weight on left leg. She turns around and puts her thin fingers to her forehead. Her eyes are shifted slightly upward to the ceiling.

"A little. I think the shower helped. I still feel a little loopy, but I'll be fine. Probably some fresh air and a little something on my stomach, I'll be okay."

Tris smiles at me with her bright eyes and I can't help but smile back.

"Have a muffin." I say passing one to her, but she shakes her head.

"No, I'm not sure why, but I don't want that. I love muffins. But today honestly…they look disgusting."

I laugh and say "You made them!"

She chuckles and say "I know. I know. It's weird. I'll just a piece of toast."

As she fumbles near the bread box I check the old chrome wall clock above the pantry. It's seven-twenty four and I feel the dread rise in my stomach. I'm supposed to be at work by eight, but lately I've been running behind. Spending mornings with Tris, watching her sleep, cooking her breakfast to wake up to. I feel like she'll still disappear in any moment.

"Stop watching me like that." She laughs.

"Like what?"

"Like I'm going to vanish into thin air." She says pouring herself a small glass of orange juice. Some pulp in the pitcher stuck to the mouth and slid down slowly back in the pool of yellow-orange sweetness as she sat it down on the table.

I grin and get up walking over to her.

"I can't help it." I say as she wraps her arms around my waist. I press my lips to her and she presses back. I taste the sweet citrus on her tongue and in her sighs. She breaks away after a moment and breathes "Tobias…you're going to be late."

"I don't care." I say kissing her chin, then her neck, then her collarbone. She lets a small moan slip from her lips, like she is protecting the sound with her might. She giggles when I slip my hands under the sweater and up her back. I feel the bra clasp with my fingers, but she immediately pushes my hands back down. I'm pushing. I stop.

Tris looks at me and bites the bottom of her lip. She wanted me to stop I know, but there's a hunger in her eyes too.

"I don't want you to get fired." She mumbles.

"I'm the best assistant she has Tris." I chuckle.

Tris rolls her eyes and grins. "Yeah right."

"Besides, Johanna knows that you, Mrs. Johnson are my priority above all."

Her fingers rolls against the small silver ornate wedding band on her left hand and she smiles deeply.

"Yeah, I know. You know Uriah calls me Mrs. Four? Mrs. Tris Four?"

I laugh and hold her cheek, it's warmth spilling into my palm.

"He's nuts, that guy is."

"Yes he is. He and Christina have finally started seeing each other. Bout time. I guess him being in a coma and nearly brain dead really welded the bond together."

"Well…that kind of stuff will do that to you." I say softly.

She grimaces slightly and grips my hand tight. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm here with you."

"I know."

I kiss her and leave out of the door, grabbing my keys in the small wooden bowl on the square table by the entrance closet.

"I love you." She hollers to me as I'm halfway through the door.

"I love you Tris." I say smiling at her. She shifts the plate of muffins from the table to the counter and the sunlight, fully risen hits her face like a prism.

She is a dream. One I am unwilling to wake up from.


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's chapter 3! I couldn't just let Tris end like that in Allegiant, so here's my little version of the future :-) enjoy. Leave a review too. **

Chapter 3

Tris

After Tobias leaves, it's nearly time for me to get ready and head to work. Christina and I work near the old Abnegation sector of the city in a office building that helps relocate people coming in from the fringe to the city. It is a pretty quiet job, hectic even at times, but I don't mind it at all. I work with a few familiar faces I've seen around all the factions and even Susan, Caleb's girlfriend works with us. Sometimes, the three of us have lunch in the cafeteria enjoying each other's company and conversations about the progress of the city.

It is a little strange being back here. It doesn't seem like a long time ago I was running for that first train into Dauntless, afraid I wasn't going to make it on. It's different. Better. But different.

As I walked the streets of Chicago, people are moving around me going toward their various destinations. I see a group of men near a building with red brick and cracked glass doors on top a truck trying to attract customers to buy their goods. From the looks of it, the truck bed is full of random assorted items like soaps, jeans, jackets, bushels of fruit, and to my surprise, ammunition. It doesn't take long for one of the city's new policeman dressed in black to come by and yell at them in harsh tones. The men can't be any older than early twenties and they hurry away before getting arrested. There have been tighter gun restrictions here now. While a few years ago, it was commonplace for anyone who aligned with Dauntless, the Allegiant, or Evelyn and her Factionless army to have guns, anybody who's not in law enforcement can get in a lot of trouble if they're caught with one.

As I make my way toward the bus stop, I see Christina, her dark, thick hair shining in the morning sunlight. She turns to me when she hears me approaching and smiles widely. She has on a crisp white collared shirt with dark blue jeans that hugged her body. Her usual black jacket is flung over her left shoulder as she dangled it on her fingertips. She has on her bright red lipstick that still reminds me of children's lips after eating candy. I'm not really too keen on makeup myself, but Christina is always prodding me to 'stand out'. I never really cared for standing out.

"Wow, you look pale. Paler than usual." She says her smile faltering being replaced with a slight frown.

"Good morning to you too, Christina." I laugh as I let a small boy with black hair and his mother go past me to the next street corner. "Same Candor mouth."

She rolls her eyes and says "I'm just saying. Are you okay?"

I pull Tobias' black sweater sleeves over my palms and press into the fabric with my fingers. "I'm a little light headed this morning. Threw up too. But I'm feeling a little better. This air is helping."

"What did you eat? Food poisoning?"

I shake my head. "No. I don't think it's that bad. I don't know. Maybe a bug is going around."

She nods slowly, still eying me carefully. She also gives me a look sometimes that Tobias does, like I'll vanish suddenly into thin air. It perplexes, annoys, and makes me sad all at once.

"I'm okay. I promise. Here comes the bus."

The bus was two minutes early this morning and as it pulled up to the stop, people all flooded out diverging into several lines and routes in the streets. A lot of them were people from the fringe, who had come to try to build a new life for themselves. It was curious to see some of them who had grown up there come to the city. Their eyes were wide and full of wonder at the tall edifices around us, the intertwining streets, and skeletons of what the city was before the war. It still amazed me at times.

Christina got on the bus first, waving her work badge to the driver. People who worked in government offices like Christina, Tobias, or me got to ride the buses for free. We were civil servants so we didn't have to worry about bus fare. However, since a lot of people were new here, Johanna, one of the city representatives allowed a six month leniency for everyone who moved here. It was kind of her.

As I stepped on and waved my own badge, I felt a churning in my stomach and I paused near the driver's seat. The driver look at me through his dark eyes curiously. He was a middle-aged man with dark skin that looked calloused around his hands. He must have come in from the fringe cause I had never seen him before, nor was he our regular driver.

"You okay, Miss?" He asked me, his voice slightly shaky and coarse.

I nodded and found my way to a seat next to Christina and sat down. The bus wasn't as full as usual and there seemed to be seats for everyone today. I touched my stomach gingerly as Christina shifted her left leg over her right thigh. She leaned her head back and sighed deeply.

"Another day at the office, huh?" She said speaking into the air with her eyes closed.

The bus began moving along the street, bumbling along the rough pavement. Once we got to Randolph Street, the bus came to a stop. A few folks got off and a few others got on. I saw a woman with a denim shirt and grey pants get on board. Her thick brown boots were caked with dried mud and hay. She must work near the old Amity farms or something.

Two more stops and Christina and I got off. Our building was still almost half a block's walk, but I enjoyed the exercise. The chilly spring air brushed through me and I shuttered a little. It felt good and calm against my forehead.

We made our way to work and entered the large glass doors of the Transition and Assistance Office. The atrium was small and had dark gray floors that distorted my reflection when I looked down. Phil, the security officer at the welcome desk waved to us happily as we entered. Christina smiled brightly at him and I grinned and waved. Phil was a former Dauntless soldier who guarded the gate when we were first initiated. He knew Tobias well and credited him for helping him getting the job here. Sometimes when Tobias would come here to eat lunch with me I would find him leaning against Phil's desk talking and laughing.

Christina and I made our way toward the elevators and waited behind a couple of people who worked down in the basement levels. The maintenance offices were down there and some others I didn't know much about. As the elevator dinged open, two very tall men in grey suits and white lab coats emerged. One of them had red-rimmed glasses that looked scratched in the lenses and on the stems. He had light wavy hair and thick eyebrows that scrunched together like he was constantly thinking. The other man had light coffee skin and thick lips that pursed together. He was bald and wore black eyeglasses that looked rather new. After they walked out of the elevator, behind them to my surprise was Cara, who's hair was up into a bun. She also had on a white lab coat over her blue blouse and matching skirt.

"Well hello there." She said brightly.

Christina embraced her into a hug and said "Cara! Where have you been? I haven't seen you in weeks."

I nodded and smiled at her as she looked at me with a small grin. Even though Cara had forgiven me all those years for killing her brother, we weren't exactly the best of friends, but we weren't enemies by any means either.

She sighed and said "I've been busy with work. We're trying to understand some of the serums that can grow crops more efficiently in order to feed more people. It's challenging. But Caleb and I are making great progress."

I felt my eyebrows raise at the mention of my brother. I hadn't seen Cara in a few weeks, but I haven't seen Caleb either.

"Tell him he should come see about his sister." I joke and Cara chuckles. The two men look around the atrium. The one with the black glasses adjusts his grey tie and clears his throat. Cara glared slightly at him and tapped her foot in a shiny black loafer on the gray marble.

"We'll be heading back now, Anthony. Don't be so hasty." She says. I laugh at little at her haughty appearance with her right hand on her hip.

"Caleb gets really obsessed with his work." Cara says pushing up her own wiry frames. "I'll be sure to pass along the message. Let's do lunch one day this week, yes?"

"Of course!" exclaims Christina and I nod in agreement.

Soon we were on the elevator heading to the fifteenth floor. I leaned against the cool metal wall near the floor controls. One of the overhead lights flickered and hummed loudly above us. Christina was eying me again and opened her mouth up as to say something, but didn't. As the car came to a halt, the doors opened to the narrow hallway with taupe colored carpet.

"Tris, have you…you know taken a—

But suddenly a small cylinder flew into the car with us. It was silver with linear grooves and depressions around it. Christina's eyes widened and I grabbed her as we dived out of the elevator. It was too late, the cylinder burst open and hissed loudly as thick, powder-like gas billowed out wildly through the hallway.

The smoke was blinding and smelled of burning rubber, chemicals, and…lavender. I felt Christina's body stiffen against me and she slumped to the floor with a small gasp. My own body became heavy, weighed down like each limb was submerged in gelatin. I felt my eyes water and my knees buckle. Before I hit the ground, the cloud of smoke dissipated slightly and a blurry figure appeared down the middle of the hallway. I couldn't hold on any longer as whatever was in the canister weighed my neck down and my cheek hit the floor.

Black boots came near my face.

Then nothing.

**Well now! See you next chapter :-)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four by Four, only fitting right?**

Chapter Four

Tobias

"And I'm telling you one last time, it is not up for negotiation. We have just begun to get our city to somewhat near peace and order. Allowing more guns near the entrance would allow more intimidation to those who want to come here to start a new life as well as anger those who are already weary of our offering." Johanna's voice comes sternly from her office. Her hair drapes over her scar, but the look in her eyes even from this view, I can tell she's not moving.

She's right. More guns. More problems. Still having extra security in certain places wouldn't be completely horrible. The Bureau of Genetic Welfare's memories may have been reset, but there's still GD rebels in the fringe who aren't completely sold on the idea of coming into the city. It just wasn't the Bureau who was involved it was this United States government too.

Johanna ushers the men inside her office away hastily. They look stern and forlorn in their dark uniforms that remind me of the Dauntless capture the flag vests. Then I realize they are former Dauntless. I saw one of them, a large, slightly pudgy man with a blonde buzz cut before in the sparring rooms there. I remember he had a strong right hook that knocked out the teeth of one of the younger guys who got initiated a year before me. He wasn't that approachable by any means.

She looks toward me and motions for me to come. I get up from my plywood desk and knock my knees under the top. The small gold frame picture of Tris and I on our wedding day, falls over. I pick it up and look at it carefully. No cracks. I walk slowly into Johanna's office and see her facing the wide window looking out into the marsh that used to be the lake. I can see the ferris wheel at Navy Pier in the distance gleaming in the sun. As I enter, Johanna turns to me and smiles softly.

"Tobias, how are you this morning?"

I chew the inside of my cheek and sigh casually.

"I'm good. How are you?"

She pulls out the black desk chair and sits down. I reflect her, taking the seat in front of her desk. It is warm on the seat from where the blonde big man and his partners have sat too long. I feel it through my jeans.

"I'm alright. Tired a little. It's almost time for me to meet with some other state representatives. I'm not quite sure what to expect. This all still feels so new."

I nod and say "Understandable. Who are you meeting with?"

"Maxwell Faraday from a…Springfield, Illinois. Also a Candace Burton from Saint Louis, Missouri."

She has to look at her list to see exactly what the places each person is from. I have never heard of either of them.

"I assume our state outreach is progressing?" I say, leaning back in the chair.

"Yes." Johanna says straightening her shirt, then shuffling some envelopes on her desk. They are torn at the top, open and frayed. "We've been finding out a lot. There's so many people out there. So many different experiments being dismantled. People want the truth. Candace says a faction system existed in this Saint Louis as well. There were only three however. They were Probity, much like Candor with a value for honesty, Repudiation, who weren't that unlike Abnegation, and you'll like this one, Intrepidity, they were the fighters and I heard they were even more dauntless than the Dauntless. Apparently their initiation involved jumping off some ruin of a giant metal arch in the sky. Sounds right up your ally, Four."

She grins at me and I laugh. Jumping off a metal arch doesn't sound too far off from something Dauntless would do.

"How's Tris?" she asks warmly. "Enjoying married life?"

"She's good. Wasn't feeling too well this morning. But she seemed okay. Married life…is interesting. But I have no regrets."

Johanna closes her eyes and nods her head with a smile.

"You two. I forget how old you both are. You seem much older than you are. I guess when you've seen the things we've seen, life will do that you."

I nod. So much has happened.

"What about your mother?" Johanna asks quietly. She struggles to keep her tone even. I know her and both of my parents didn't leave on the best of terms. Although I think there's no hard feelings, I know some things are hard to let go of.

"I helped her move into her new place near Union Station last month. Well, Tris and I did. She's doing alright. She's working at the old Erudite research to develop some healing serums there."

Johanna nods softly. She moves her long hair behind her ear, her scar peeking out from underneath the tuck. "And…Marcus?"

"No." I say quickly. She doesn't ask any further. Truthfully, I don't know where my father is. Last I heard he was living near the marsh or something. It wouldn't surprise me if I went to Abnegation and found him living amongst the fringe transfers. Trying to rally them behind him. But Johanna or anyone else wouldn't have that, I'm sure.

"Well I'm glad you're doing okay Tobias. Thank you for all your help here, I appreciate it." Johanna says folding her fingers into each other on top her desk.

"I'm glad to help. Amar is still trying to recruit me to join the police force. I keep telling him, I'm done with violence."

"Understandable. It's only natural I suppose, everywhere knows how well of a fighter you are."

I grimace and say "I'm trying to rid myself of that image."

Johanna chuckles lightly and says "Don't lose it completely. You never know when we may need your skills again."

Her tone is playful, but it is also sends a shudder through me. What scares me is that Johanna may be right. I push the thought out of my mind. Imagining the weight of a gun in my palm, my knuckles splitting open against the jaw of someone, even worse, Eric's sick and taunting grin when I executed him years ago. No. That Tobias, I want no part of anymore. Almost losing Tris made me realize I needed new hobbies. But sometimes, I go to gym rooms in the city and hit the punching bag.

As Johanna prepares to open her mouth again, the doors of the office burst open. I heard a rushed, panicked voice behind me. Johanna's eyebrows furrow together and she sighs sharply.

"What is it now?"

I turn and walk out of with her and see the office all looking toward the doors. Security has someone in their grasp and they're putting up a fight. I feel my hands curl into fists by instinct. It surprises me how easily they come, even after I say I want to put fighting behind me.

As I push through my coworkers and their worried voices, I freeze when I see Christina in the guards clutches. Her eyes are wild and slightly bloodshot and her dark hair is ruffled and sticking up. She grits her teeth and tries to free herself from their grip, her eyes darting back and forth. They land on me and she shouts "Four! Oh Four! Thank God, Four it's Tris!"

My body stiffens and I shout to security hoarsely. "Let her go."

They eye me suspiciously and then each other and then Christina. They let her go and she rushes toward me with something crumpled in her palm.

"What happened?" I say as my heart pounds in my ears. I feel like it will most certainly explode through my chest. My face feels hot and the room seems to grow smaller my vision.

"She's gone! We were at work and—-and— and there was this grenade full of some kind of serum that knocked us out! The entire office was knocked out when I went for help. I went to Amar and Zeke, they're outside, Four you have to come, whoever took her left this note. It has your name on it."

I wanted to think this was some sick joke she was playing, but Christina wasn't the type nor would she kid about something like this. I snatched the note from her and read it. It was only two lines.

Four,

If you want Six back, I suggest you come to the top of the Hancock Building in one hour.

There was no signature and I re-read the letter three times over quickly. I turned to Johanna and she breathed "Go Tobias. Please be safe! I will send for backup to help you."

I turn on my heel and run out the door with Christina down the stairs. The elevator would be much too slow right now.

"Who is Six?" Christina asks as she leaps down two stairs.

"Never mind that, did you get any look at all at the guy's face before you got knocked out?"

"No, I'm sorry!" Christina stammered as she almost tripped on the step.

We burst through the doors of the office building on to the street. Zeke's black police truck was roaring with life. He yelled out the window and said "Get in, c'mon! Amar is gonna meet us there with some of the squad!"

I jumped in the truck bed with Christina and we zoomed off.

Whoever took Tris would make me go back on my promise today. Today I would shoot someone.

**Hope you're enjoying reading. The good stuff is on the way! **


	5. Chapter 5

**More Resurgent. leave a review. enjoy.**

Chapter 5

?

The top of the Hancock Building was empty when I got here. Just like I knew it would be. Not too many people come up here anymore. Except if they're zip lining, but I figured since the city is trying to rebuild, or rather create itself, people don't have much time for it. I rocked back on my heels, the leather around my toes was a little tight. I should have wore my other boots for this trip, they were already broken in. The sunlight was shrouded behind a few clouds now. The beams of light that hit the large windows of the top floor made abstract shadows inside the room.

I knew it would be much longer before he would show up. He'd probably be bringing Christina, Zeke, Amar, and some other police with him. I suppose I should be worried, but there's something in me that isn't. I look over to my left and see her body, clad in his sweater that's too big for her. She's sleeping against the wall, her blonde hair covering her eyes and the bridge of her nose. Her chest undulates softly under the Sleeping Serum. I'm surprised it knocked her out so quickly. The new recipe must be harder to fight off. Even for Divergents. However, it wouldn't last for much longer.

Soon as I shift back toward the window, I see the cars below. They are black trucks, two of them, no three, one just turned the corner behind the other. I sigh and mutter into the earpiece.

"Here we go. Are you in position?"

"Of course. I see them. Don't worry, I'll take care of them." The deep, soft voice comes through the other end.

I sigh. I hope this went well. If not, then it really would be over.

I jump a little when I hear her groan quietly against the wall. Her body moves stiffly and she presses against the wall to stand up. She holds her head in her right hand, trying to shake off the delirium from the serum. A pang shoots through my stomach. I wish there was another way to have done this.

She opens her eyes groggily. They are slightly red, but still stunning. Stern and insistent. It takes her only moments to fully awake and become aware of where she is. Her eyes zoom over to me and they grow wide, full of anger and nervousness. But not fear. I smile to myself.

"What is this? Why did you bring me here? Who are you?"

She takes no chances and keeps her distance. But she's scanning me for any sign of a weapon and he eyes examine me up and down.

"I'm not going to hurt you." I say.

"Oh, yeah, sure. Just kidnap me from my job, take me to the top of the Hancock building, and wear a creepy helmet! I believe you!"

I almost forget about the smoke gray visor I am wearing. It seemed so irrelevant when looking at her. The visor is one sided, I can see clearly through it, but no one can see in. It covers up everything but my mouth.

"I can take it off!" I say quickly moving my hands to the clasp near the back.

She looks at me curiously and I stop. Maybe not just yet.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" She asks me angrily. "Are you too coward to show your face?"

I drop my hands to my sides and chew the inside of my cheek nervously. Even now, hearing those words from her sting. It would be so much easier to just let everything spill out of me, but she wouldn't believe me. Not this way. Perhaps that is my fault.

She eyes the elevator doors, closed shut and then back to me. There's also the heavy metal door behind me that leads to the stairs and I see her try to calculate if she can rush me and make it there.

"I didn't want to kidnap you. But…it's hard to explain. I shouldn't stop you if you want to leave, but I need you to stay. At least till Tobias gets here."

Her eyebrows raise and she breathes angrily through her nose.

"What do you want with us?" she scathes inching a little from the wall.

I sigh and step aside from the path blocking the door. Her face lights up with shock, eyes mad with more angry and now confusion.

"I don't want you to leave, and this might sound crazy, but I need you to trust me."

She laughs heartily and rolls her eyes. "Okay. So you kidnap me, bring me here, open the floor up for me to leave, but then you want me to trust you? Do you even trust yourself?"

Her finger points to me and I find myself giggling a little. Her motion and tone is all too familiar.

"In a strange sense…yes." I say. I walk over to the window ledge and her eyes are trained on me. She could leave any moment, but for reason she stays put. Out of fear or curiosity, I'm not sure.

On the window sill is a bundle of thick triple braided rope and plastic ties. I hold them out above me and she recoils.

"Now you wanna tie me up?" She stiffens further, her fists curled now ready to fight against me.

"No, I'm telling you, you can tie me up. We have to wait till Tobias gets here. Then I'll explain."

She shakes her head and presses a palm to it. Her mouth opens as if to speak, but only frustrated sounds escape.

"If I wanted to hurt you or kill you, it would've happened by now. Why would I bring you here unscathed, with no weapon, and tell your friends where you are?"

Her eyes scan the floor left to right, brows bent and squinted.

"Maybe cause you're crazy, that's why?" She accuses acidly.

I grimace, the visor now making my face sweat slightly, and I say "You're probably right. But I guess it's too late now. They're here now."

The elevator doors ding and open. Christina, Zeke, Amar, and him pour out quickly, guns raised and all pointed on me.

"Don't move, asshole!" Zeke's rough voice orders as the barrel of the gun is stern and aimed at my head.

I raise my hands over my head and say "I have no weapon. I swear."

He races over to her, his gun still aimed at me. His look is still the same, even now. I feel myself fill with excitement.

"Tris, are you alright?" He whispers into her hair. She nods slowly, her eyes focused on me.

Christina looks around the room, her hair longer than I remember, and then she focuses back on me. Amar speaks into the small radio placed on his shoulder.

"Situation contained, stay tuned for further orders." A muffled response comes out of the black brick with the long chrome antenna.

Zeke moves closer me and says "You're under arrest. You have the right to remain—-

"Wait, you can't arrest me!"

"To remain silent!" He finishes with a incredulous and hot tone.

I look over to her. My eyes begin to water and the scene blurs a little.

"Please." I say to her directly. "Tell them I didn't hurt you. Tell them I was going to let you go!"

She pauses for a moment and then he brandishes the heavy pistol at me. "You shut your mouth, you don't speak to her, you don't look at her!"

His tone cuts through me and I feel my throat go dry. It reminded me of all the times I'd hear it after I'd done something wrong. It was cold and piercing. A few tears gathered in my eyes now. I gulped and it felt uncomfortable.

He looked at Zeke who nodded at him. He moves toward me and grabs my wrists hard. I struggle against his grip and he sweeps my lower calves, making me fall to my knees. He presses the cold metal barrel into my temple and shouts into my ear. "Move and I will put a bullet in you!"

I feel a small sob escape my lips, but I grit my teeth now allowing the rest of it to escape. Zeke places my plastic ties around my wrists, binding them together. He tries to get me to my feet, but I push against him. Christina comes over and punches me in the stomach. I feel the air leave my body and I gasp, gagging on my saliva. They begin to drag me, but then her voice rings through the air.

"Stop!"

Everyone stops and stares at her. He looks at her incredulously and angrily.

"Tris, what are you doing?"

But she releases herself from his grasp and walks slowly over to me. He almost grabs her back, but his hand falters in midair. Christina looks at Zeke and then down at me. Amar is still by the elevator doors, his strong dark arm still pointing the gun directly at my head.

"Tris, are you crazy?" Christina says stopping her by putting her hands, pistol still in hand but now raised upward toward the ceiling, on her shoulders. But she brushes them off, her stern eyes still focused on me on the floor. Her hair gleams in the reappearing sunlight and I feel calm by her closeness. She stops in front of me and bits her lip.

Her nimble hands reach for the visor and pulls it upward.

Christina gasps and Zeke looks at me for a moment. His head shifting sideways before he finally lowers his gun.

She steps back, the visor slipping from her fingers and she clutches his sweater on the front. She is looking at me. I am looking at her. With her own eyes.

**Only the beginning! Happy Four Day by the way. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Only fitting that Chapter 6 belongs to Tris. I'm enjoying writing this. leave me feedback, I appreciate it. I hope you enjoy the story. This is just the beginning. **

Chapter 6

Tris

I almost fall to the floor. But something weighs me down and I am frozen to where I stand. The eyes, I have seen many, many, many times in the short glimpses of the Abnegation mirror as a young girl, in the stolen glimpses in spoons, glossy floors, and other reflective surfaces are looking back at me.

But the face is not exactly my own. The nose yes, but the lips aren't mine. But they are someone's I know all too well. Lips that have brushed my own many, many, many times. The ears too. Ears I have whispered into and breathed into. The hair is dark like same I wake up to every morning.

"What is it?" Tobias' nervous voice comes from behind me. I realize I am blocking his sight. Christina has her hand pressed to her mouth, eyes glossy and blinking rapidly. Zeke isn't sure what exactly to do, but he keeps his heavy pistol tight in his right hand. It is lowered and he looks at Amar who's eyebrows are scrunched together. He still keeps his gun raised.

I feel my now lead filled feet shift backward and to the side where Christina stands. I look at Tobias who also has his gun raised. As the body on the floor comes into his view, he squints his eyes and breathes hard. Then his face widens with shock. If I see them, he sees it too. The features are all too familiar to him as well.

"What…the…" Amar mutters slowly.

"Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit." Christina gasps behind her hand covered mouth.

I must be in a simulation. I must still be in a coma. I must have not survived after David shot me. This is the only explanation my mind can conceive.

Tobias' arms are lowered and his mouth is open. I look at his strong chest rises and fall slowly.

"Is this a dream?" I say aloud.

Tobias shakes his head.

"If it's a simulation, then it's not real!" I shout into the empty air. But Christina shakes her head rapidly. "Tris. This is real."

"Who are you?" Tobias' deep and shaky voices comes from behind me.

The girl on the floor shifts on her knees and breathes deeply. "I can't say just yet. But if you have to ask, you already know the answer. Or something of it."

Her body is slender and her legs are long. Her face is strong, yet soft at the same time. Her skin is pale like my own and I wonder how old she is. She cannot be any older than sixteen, if that.

Zeke clears his throat.

"I'm sorry…but you guys….she looks an awful lot like Tris. Except the hair and lips. That's all Four."

Christina says nothing. Her eyes are still wide and watering. Amar is equally silent.

She leans back and sits cross-legged on the floor. Her hands are still bound in front of her and she stares intently at me.

"You can guess if you want." She says to me. I shake my head and feel the room tilt a little. I have to lean back into the wall behind me for support. My knees feel a little tenuous and I want nothing but to sit. My back is now aching and the balls of my feet are tense. Apparently she notices and says "You should take it easy!"

Christina looks to me and then back at her. Then back to me.

"Tris…Four…" she mutters nervously.

Tobias walks over to me and puts his large, warm hand on my cheek. He is chewing the inside of his cheek like he always does when he's thinking or frustrated. It makes the muscles in his jaw clinch and move.

"Who are you, kid?" Amar says sternly.

She looks over at him, her eyes low and stern. "I told you, I'll tell you shortly. I have to wait for Tobias to get here."

"What?" Tobias says to her, confusion laced in his voice.

"He's already here, kid, you blind?" Zeke says scratching his neck with the handle of his pistol.

She shakes her head and giggles a little. "No, not that Tobias. The other one."

She motions with her head toward Tobias who's stiffened near me.

"I'm not sure what you're playing at, but you're obviously a psychopath who hit her head a few good times. C'mon Zeke, get her out of here. I don't have time for this." Tobias almost spits at her.

I look slowly from him back to her. Her head is lowered slightly and there's a look on her face that is almost forlorn. I see his lips, no, her lips tremble slightly at the icy knives that Tobias threw with his words.

Zeke motions again toward her, but I can't help myself. I shout "Don't! Leave her alone!"

He raises a irritable eyebrow at me and then glares at Tobias as if to say "Control your wife."

Tobias rounds on me and places his strong hands on my shoulders.

"Tris…this is some kind of trick. Some kind of sick joke or sim. I don't know what it is, I'm not sure how we got hit with it, but we're gonna get out."

I look into his dark navy eyes and grimace. I can't help but shift my gaze away from him and back toward her sitting on the ground. He releases me. He knows I don't believe him. I don't know what to believe right now.

"Tris." He begins, but I stop and walk back toward her. She looks up at me, her eyes glistening with curiosity and fear. I clear my own throat this time and cough slightly to alleviate the pressure inside of it.

"You called me Six. When you carried me up here. How do you know that name?"

She grins at this and says happily "Four and Six!"

I look toward Tobias and he shakes his head, unable to comprehend any of it.

"How?" I ask her again.

"He gave you that name." She says motioning again towards Tobias with a nod of her head. "During your fear landscape in Dauntless. You were the second ranking member with the least number of fears. Six, well seven to be exact, but I guess you got over that 'fear'".

She grins and I feel myself go red at the reference. Tobias' face flushes a little and I look at him, then back to her.

"I've never told anyone that." I say softly. "Anyone."

Christina looks at me and still says nothing.

"Jeez, you Stiffs are certainly something else. Six fears?" Zeke says.

Usually I would retort and tell him not to call me that, but I am too numb with shock and wonder of whatever is happening right now.

She yawns a little, making us jump in unison. Zeke and Amar both raised their guns quickly. Her eyes dart back and forth from them and then she tilts her head back and laughs. It is light and deep all at once and she slows into a chuckle. "A girl can't yawn? I've been up for nearly eighteen hours."

I bit my lip, tasting the coppery blood now on my tongue. She shifts on her behind and says "Tobias is almost here. In fact I can hear him reaching the elevator."

Amar cackles and snorts. "Please, if you've got a boyfriend coming up here, he won't get past my men. There's a good five of my best officers down there. It's over sweetheart, now why don't you get up and—-

Before he could finish the radio on his shoulder came on. Loud, strained voices were jetting in and out of the static.

"Amar! The—-oh shi—-

"We nee—-d backup!"

"Stop! Stop kid!—

But the radio cut out and there was nothing but the grainy hiss left to fill the air. I looked at Amar who was clicking the small gray button on the side, trying to get any response. His eyes widened and he looked at all of us. His long locked hair swung madly as he ran into the elevator.

"Watch her! She's more dangerous than she looks!" He shouted at Zeke before the doors closed.

Silence grasped the five of us for a few seconds as we watched the elevator disappear, until she opened her mouth and said "He's right."

Zeke turned quickly toward her but she didn't move. I recoiled slightly when I saw the same eyes that reflected my own shift quickly into sunset orange around the irises. Zeke gasped and the muscles in his face relaxed and became blank. His eyes grew dark as if he was transported into a far away land no one could reach him at.

"Take these ties off me." Her voice echoed and reverberated through the air. Zeke moved almost as if he was on strings toward her. Christina gasped and Tobias suddenly raised his pistol at her still seated on the floor. She quickly glanced at Christina, eyes still burning orange and said "Point your gun at Four. Shoot him in the arm if he tries anything."

Christina's eyes emptied and she rounded on Tobias raising her pistol. Tobias eyed her, then me, then her, then Zeke, then back to her.

Zeke cut the plastic ties around her wrist with a small black knife and she raised up off the floor. She rubbed her pale wrists where the ties had left bright red marks. Her eyes looked up at Zeke and she said "Thank you. Throw your gun across the room." He tossed the heavy pistol behind him and it slid against a wall.

"Now wake up." she said looking at him again.

Zeke stood still for three seconds and then his eyes flitted back and forth, regaining their light. He looked wild and dazed then looked at her. His eyes widened and his body trembled. I could see in his eyes he wasn't sure if he wanted to run or fight. So he stood still.

"What the hell are you!?" Tobias scathed, the gun still pointed directly at her chest. She sighed.

"Why do you keep asking the question you know the answer to? I'm you."

Tobias' arm drooped a little and I looked toward the elevator doors. Above them, the electronic meter was rising steadier and steadier.

Five floors away.

Two.

One.

I held my breath as the doors opened with a ding. A figure clad in a dark sleeveless sweatshirt and cowl neck collar emerged. His arms are defined and strong. His pants are fitted to his muscular short legs and his slim dark boots made him appear taller than he was. A hood covered his head and face partially. In his hand was a long sword with a black sheath around the blade. The handle was covered in red leather and looked heavy. The sheath was blunted and dented in small areas, even bearing a long scratch near the steel guard.

The girl sighed and said "Finally! What took you?"

The boy said nothing and Zeke rounded on him, his body now shifting into attack. He rushed him, his elbow nearly connecting with his stomach, but the boy turned almost in a blur and pushed Zeke backward with an almost unnatural strength. Zeke stammered a little and tried to regain his balance. His boots had left deep scraps in the floor from where he was just pushed.

"Stop! Don't fight!" The girl yelled at both of them.

Tobias then shifted his pistol toward the boy and Christina raised hers, her eyes blank and glossy.

I didn't think, I rushed Christina and pushed her down, the pistol firing at a angle near the ceiling. The bang rang inside my head and the shattering glass over head screeched on the floor. Zeke spotted his gun across the room and dove for it. The boy with the sword stood there. I looked up. I felt my eyes narrow in bafflement. in He could've stopped Zeke. Why didn't he?

Tobias now had his gun directly pointed at the boy, his finger flexing against the trigger. Zeke stood up and raised his own.

This was going to end badly.

Suddenly the girl cried out. "Tobias take off your hood! Now!"

Tobias and Zeke both quickly at her but thought nothing of it. Christina shifted under me with a groan. I shouted, my voice coming back to me, "Don't shoot!"

"Tris!" Tobias yelled agitated his face rounding on me. I could see the hot anger in his dark eyes now wide open.

"Let him…let him remove his hood." I say quietly.

Zeke looks at Tobias and then at me. He slowly lowers his gun.

"What are you doing Zeke?" Tobias grits through his teeth.

"Four…c'mon man." He mutters.

I feel Christina rise up next to me on the floor. She clutches her head and her eyes are groggy, but she is herself again.

"What….what happened?" She says dryly. Her lips are slightly chapped and there's a small gleam of sweat under her nose. She looks at me, then at the girl, then at Zeke and Tobias, but then gasps as the boy with the sleeveless hood raises his hands upward.

I feel my heart stop within my chest, then race underneath my palms.

He lowers his hood and a short, cropped dark blonde mop of hair appears. His face is the nearly the exact face of the man I wake up to every morning. It is the face I saw when I first hit the net when I chose Dauntless. It is the face of the man in this room whom I am in love with.

It's Tobias. But shorter. Younger. Clean shaven. His bottom lips protrudes out and his eyes are like mine. Just like the girl near me standing up. The look on his face is the same brooding, handsome one like my Tobias' face.

Tobias drops his gun and it clatters to the floor with a pang. He steps backward, his heels crunching some of the broken glass that Christina's gun blasted apart.

This is not real.

Wake up.

Wake up Tris.

But even as I bite my lip and dig my fingernails into my palms, nothing will wake me. This is real.

Zeke whistles and says "Well I'll be damned. Your boyfriend sure does look a lot like Four."

She whips around to him and glares. The look familiar to me as if I've done it a million times. Because I have.

"Boyfriend? He's my twin brother, Uncle Zeke."

The last part she did not mean to say because she immediately bites the tip of her tongue after speaking it. Her eyes close and she sucks her teeth annoyed.

The boy with Tobias' face looks at her irritably. I see it written all in his face. I've seen the look far too often to not recognize it.

"Wh—Uncle?" Zeke says laughing nervously.

"Nice one." The boy says his tone even. His voice is deep but also is light in it's inflection.

"Shut it, Tobias. It was an accident. They're gonna find out anyway. That's why we're here, right?" She says grinning at him. He rolls his eyes and folds his strong, short arms across his chest. He bites the inside of his cheek, his jaw muscles moving tightly up and down.

I look over at Tobias who hasn't stopped gaping at the boy. I cannot help staring either. Christina shifts on the ground and then raises up. She is shaking and gripping her shoulders.

"You two…are twins?" She asks cautiously.

The girl with the dark hair walked over to the boy and stood next to him. She was slightly taller than him by a few feet. Her slim and lanky body was developing curves and accents. I only noticed that she also was muscular in regions as well.

"Of course we are. Not identical. But almost." She says analyzing the boy's face carefully.

"Who…" Christina begins but her voice catches as if it is snagged on a hook. "Who's your parents?"

The girl grinned and said "You already know the truth, Aunt Christina. You saw it when she took off that visor. So say it. You always do anyway."

Christina jumped at the word 'aunt', I saw her recoil slightly toward the wall. Her eyes shifted to meet my own and then she looked over at Tobias who was still standing statuesque. I got up and walked over to him. He jumped slightly when I placed my hand into his own.

The girl and boy both looked at us. She took his hand like I took Tobias' just now and smiled.

"Mom. She murmured. "Dad."

I felt my heart leap and lump in my throat. Tobias gripped my hand tightly and it felt sweaty.

Mom.

Dad.

Me.

Tobias.

**Cause every story needs a good appearance from the future right? Who are these mysterious kids who claim to be Tris and Tobias' children? Is it a simulation? Is it all a dream? Find out on the next Dragonball Z. **

**Haha no, but more chapters will be up soon. Introducing Natalie and TJ viewpoints next chapter! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry for any typos. Here's Tris and Tobias' daughter, Natalie's viewpoint. I enjoyed this chapter a lot, it's a longer one. leave me a review with your thoughts. **

Chapter 7

Natalie

From the looks on both my parents' faces, they reacted just the way I thought they would. My father's furrowed eyebrows are exactly like my brother's next to me. Nearly identical and stern, they are staring at each other deeply. While my father has shock his eyes, there's also a wondrous gleam inside them too. My mother is gripping his arm now, she is blank and her face is paler than ever.

Christina's is hugging herself against the wall, eyes darting wild across the floor and then up at my parents. Zeke's eyebrows are jumping up and down with his eyes and he is muttering something only he can hear.

"I know this probably is a lot." I say my voice clear. It feels good to be honest with them. Well begin to be honest, any way.

"You have questions."

Tris and Tobias, well, Mom and Dad say nothing. They just look at us like we're sprouting five heads. It sends a wave of emotion through my stomach. I guess I was expecting them to embrace us and hug us. But those parents. The ones I know. Do not exist yet.

And may cease to exist completely.

Tobias, my brother, tenses up next to me and he sighs. "It may be hard to believe, but this is not a simulation. You are not dreaming. You are not hallucinating. We're real."

Dad steps forward slightly, Mom releasing his arm slowly and absentmindedly as she stares at me. He looks down at the floor and breathes deeply.

As he looks up, there's a smirk across his face. His teeth were shiny and glossy with the pouring sunlight inside the top of building.

"So where's the part where this is over, huh? Is this another Bureau control experiment? You got sent in from the fringe, right? I don't think so, not this time."

I looked at him and chuckle slightly. "No. Nothing like that."

"You don't fool me!" He yells, his deep tones making me jump. I forgot how angry he can be and how it made him seem several feet taller than he was. His eyes were gleaming with rage.

"You almost destroyed everything. And you can't let us just try to live in peace. You have to come and try to destroy us some more. No. No."

He picks up the gun in one swift motion and fires at my brother. Christina screams and Mom falls backward slightly. But the gun firing isn't what takes them aback. My brother is still standing still, with his arms crossed, head slightly cocked, and scowling at our father. Dad looks at the gun then at my brother. There is a nickel sized hole directly behind my brother with thin spirals of smoke billowing out from it. He raises to fire again, but Tobias says "Don't do that again, Dad."

"Don't call me that!" He yells brandishing the gun wildly.

Tobias closes his eyes and then turns to me as he opens them. "Coming here was a mistake. We've probably screwed everything up by revealing ourselves to them. We should've just—

"We need their help TJ! Uncle Caleb told us to find them. He said if we didn't then we would fail for sure. We just have to convince them." I said sternly my eyes still focused on my father.

He says nothing and glares at me. He turns away from me and I see his hoodie is torn diagonally across the back. There's small strikes as if a knife travelled along his back, but as I observed it, it was fading away.

"Where did you put our bags?" He asks scanning almost frantically.

I point to the corner where some loose floorboards, scrap pieces, and a gray plastic cart with white paint marks was piled together. He walked toward them and Dad yelled "Move and you die!"

TJ glared at him lazily and said "Give it up, Old Man. If you were going to shoot me, you would've. My father doesn't wait if he feels there's a legitimate threat. You are not threatened by me. Perhaps scared and curious. But not threatened. Mom isn't even scared."

Dad looked over his shoulder at Mom who was staring at the back at him. Her eyes said keep the gun out, but also put it down. Dad chose the latter. I sighed with relief.

"What's your name?" Her voice came from behind him. Dad turned to her incredulously and said "Tris…you don't honestly…"

She ignored him.

I grinned.

"Let me see if you can guess. Remember you had to guess Dad's name by going through his fear landscape?" I felt myself pulling memories and stories she's told me as much as I can. I refuse to fail now. They will believe us.

Zeke said "Really Four? You never let anybody go through your fear landscape. Wow."

Dad rolled his eyes and growled slightly. The irritation and anger were making his ears go red. These were intimate memories they only shared, or rather they thought they did. Until they told us.

Mom paused for a moment and gripped the collar of the black sweater.

"I'll give you a hint." I say. "If you were having a daughter, what name would be the most important for you to give her?"

She pursed her lips and halfway smiled, but then looked stern again.

Dad scratched his head and I looked over at Tobias digging through the big black backpacks we bought with us. He murmured to himself and struggled to pull something out.

"Natalie…" Mom whispered.

"Just like Grandma." I smile at her. I remember her stories of Grandma Natalie's life and her sacrifice just like it was last week.

Dad looked at her and said "Tris. You believe them?"

She looked at him and frowned slightly. "I'm not sure yet. It's not all adding up."

"It will, we promise." I say as my brother back up out of the corner. His tear in his sweatshirt shows his tattoos on his back a little. I hear Mom gasp and point at them.

"Those are…" she begins tugging at Dad's wrist.

"Same and everything." I laugh. "It's a good story."

TJ turns to me and rolls his eyes.

"You're such a downer, Tobias!" I say irritably carrying the last syllable out in a hiss between my teeth.

"Tobias. Your name is Tobias too." Tris says softly.

"Yes." He responds curtly, his back still turned to everyone.

"Tobias. Tobias junior. TJ." She says looking at my father.

"Damn Mom, you're good! Didn't take you long at all." I squeal a little too happily.. Christina then rises from the wall and says "Okay…but how did you all get here? That's the real question."

Zeke scratches his head again. "I don't get any of this. I must still be asleep."

"Would it be too cliché to say, we're from the future? I mean that's the only way I can think to say it." I say biting my lower lip.

TJ turns around and in his hands is a sculpture of what appears to be falling water suspended in midair. It is ornate and beautiful, and also cracked. Dad stiffens and he points darkly at it.

"How'd you get that? You stole it out our home?! You've—

"Dad! How could we steal something that technically belongs to us? Besides look at this one. It's cracked isn't it? It's a little tarnished and weathered. Your's is still in good condition! Right on the dresser near the picture of you and mom. It's the same picture you keep on your work desk."

He shakes his head as if it will explode at any moment. This is a lot for him. But, there is no other way.

"Dad, please…believe us. We can show you."

He opens his mouth to argue and Mom says "Show us."

Everyone looks at her and she looks at the cracked sculpture then up at me.

I look to TJ who stares at me. He places the sculpture down on the ground and fumbles on the side of the base. His deft fingers find the small bronze button quickly and he presses it. The sculpture begins to churn and move, the crystalized water coming alive almost in a mixture of lights and lasers. As the glass spirals downward, a small long, black cylinder rises from the center. I see everyone, aside from TJ and myself, take a long step back. I don't blame them. As much as they are still considering killing us, they are also very much curious.

On top of the cylinder is a small glass lens and light bursts into an arch, creating a small holographic window. As the image becomes clear, there is a shadowy figure seated in chair. Mom gasps as the screen shows Uncle Caleb, but much older than he is now, sitting in a peeling brown leather chair. His hair is thinning and very light and the thick beard he's has is graying in patches. But there's no denying that it is him, same long nose as my mother. Even so, I find my uncle to still retain his handsomeness he's had for as long as I've known him.

He adjusts his square glasses on his face and clears his throat.

"Beatrice." He begins, his eyes focusing on the space in front of him. "If this messages reaches you, I know that my niece and nephew, your children, have successfully contacted you. I know this will be a shock to you and the others, but you must listen. This is not a simulation. You are not asleep."

Mom's eyes widen with shock and Dad's shoulders falter with either surrender or grief, I am not certain. I see Christina and Zeke move a little closer to the image, but they still keep their distance from the hologram.

"Beatrice, your children and I come to you, asking for your help. To avoid tired phrases and clichés, but the future of your life, Tobias' life, your children, and everyone depends on it."

He pauses as he interlaces his fingers under his chin, thinking as he always does.

"Three years ago, when you reset David's memory and the Bureau of Genetic Welfare from erasing the entire city's memories, you shifted Chicago toward a more peaceful way of life. Although the reconstruction you and everyone are facing is developing, there is still something I must warn you about. When you stopped David and nearly died, everyone in the Bureau's memories were not reset. There was someone who was immune to it. Someone who, until our time here, has proven to be a most deadly adversary."

My brother's jaw muscles stiffen a little and he stands identical to our mother with his arms crossed over his chest. I forget that as much as he looks like Dad, he also reminds me a lot of her.

"Sometime, probably a few years after Natalie and TJ were born, the file room inside the Bureau was reopened. The one with all the failed experiments and patents for technology." Uncle Caleb's hologram image continued. "Inside there were plans for more genetic testing on Divergents, similar to the experiments of Edith Prior's legacy, but this time it focused more on the offspring. These experiments included genetic replication and modification. Focus on special extraordinary abilities, heightened senses and reflexes, and enhanced strength and speed."

My mother's eyes are so focused on the screen she doesn't hear Christina groan loudly behind her.

"More experiments!?" She seethes.

"This experiment was called the Resurgent Project. It was shut down by the United States government when it was deemed too unstable. The genes of the Divergent offspring couldn't be manipulated so easily, and the study is actually quite fascinating, but I won't ramble. The point is Beatrice, your children are only a few of potential many children with special abilities. They are Resurgent. In order to stop the Department of Genetic Defense , or D.G.D., you have to destroy that file inside the Bureau of Genetic Welfare. I cannot go in depth, but I've sent Natalie and Tobias back to you. They will fill in the gaps. Please believe them. You and Tobias must keep them safe until they can shift the future here. Watch over them as I watched over you when our mother broke her arm and I held your hand in the hospital when we were younger."

Mom's eyes lit up at the mention of Uncle Caleb's memory. Even I didn't know that happened. I looked at her and her face was flushed red. She looked as if she wasn't breathing, but then her chest finally rose up. Dad looked at her, then back at the hologram, and then toward us. Maybe they believed?

"Natalie, TJ, you know what to do. You know the risks, be hasty and careful. Reveal only what must be revealed and nothing more. Everything you do, everyone you see, will change the future somehow here. Stay hidden as much as possible. Look after each other, trust each other, and trust yourselves. Tris and Tobias, please trust them."

The image of Uncle Caleb faded away and the long scope of light lowered back down into the water sculpture. My brother quickly picked it up off the floor and went to place it back into his book bag.

"Uncle Caleb did some adjustments to your sculpture Grandma Evelyn gave you, Dad." I say looking at him.

He shook his head and turned away from everyone. His back was tense and his fists were clenched tightly. Mom looked over at him and said nothing, merely breathing deeply.

"Okay….so say this is all real." Zeke begins by stepping forward. "Why don't we just kill the guy who's leading this…uh…D.G.D? End it now."

I shake my head. "We don't know who he or she is."

Christina's mouth dropped open.

"You don't know the guy?!" She said irritably and incredulously.

I nod. "The only thing we know is the D.G.D. call him, or them rather, 'The Master'. He only has a representative, a Resurgent he created from the instructions in the experiment. She's a clone of himself, who's obviously Divergent, and…."

But I don't finish and I look at my brother who eyed me cautiously. We could only reveal what needed to be revealed. Too much, the future as we know it could shift completely. Who knows how much it changed now by us just showing up here.

"And who kid?" Zeke says bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Jeanine Matthews." TJ breathes. Everyone rounds on him with disbelief written on their faces. But I nod.

"It's true. She's almost the splitting image of the woman, Same blonde hair and everything. They call her Jeanne. That's it. She's not very nice at all. Very lethal. Very calculating. She's almost kill—-

"Natalie!" TJ's sharp tone cuts into me. I am saying too much.

"Never mind that…maybe you'll see for yourself when we show you."

"Show us?" Mom says curiously.

"We can show you our memories. With the sculpture device. TJ and me. We can show you. But some things…we can't show everyone." I say eying Christina and Zeke.

Zeke sighs and Christina simply looks down at her feet.

"What I mean is…there's some things we can only Mom and Dad because it'll help us when we destroy the experiment file."

"We agreed to nothing." Dad says coldly. "I still don't believe you all. Once I find out what's going on, you two are done. We've come too far to just let you two ruin it all."

TJ rolls his eyes and mutters "Coward."

Dad's eyebrows raise and I see his body tense up with anger. I feel a nervous twinge in my stomach and I looked between both of them.

"Excuse me?" He says darkly.

TJ looks directly at him and says "I said you're a coward. We just proved to you that we're not lying that this isn't real and you still refuse to see the truth. You know it's true, you see it in my face. In Natalie's face. Cause they're yours."

He turns to me and says "They cannot help us. We will go do it by ourselves."

I feel myself begin to agree with him. But then she opens her mouth up.

"I believe you." Mom says sternly.

"Tris…" Dad begins, but she puts up a hand to him. He stops and sighs, pinching his brow with his fingertips, his eyes scrunched together.

"I believe you too." Christina mumbles as she wipes her brow of sweat.

Zeke nods in agreement and Dad looks over at his best friend pleadingly.

"Four. Whatever this is, is real. You may not believe it. But these two…they look just like you and Tris. That video was Caleb, we all saw it. Tris, there's a room in the Bureau right? With the discarded experiments?"

She nods and says "Yes. As far as I know it's still there."

"Then let's go get it." Zeke says grinning. He looked a lot like Uriah when he did.

"You think they're just gonna let us waltz in there and destroy a file? This is the government we're talking about! We wrecked shit last time, their memory may be gone, but they aren't just going to let us do that, you know!" Dad says gritting his teeth.

"Of course not. But we have a plan." I say.

"Wonderful. We're ready to heard it." Christina says firmly.

"Not yet. Uncle Caleb said he has one more message. But we'll need to get this time period him and Cara together. He said it's imperative they hear it before we begin."

"I can get him and bring him here." Mom says stepping forward.

I nod and smile. "Great. Come back here tonight. Around ten."

"Why the wait?" Dad asks. His voice seemed calmer now and more curious.

"Well, I think it's best for you all to talk." I say eying both of them. "Also, I would like to take a nap. As I said we've been up for a long time. Uncle Zeke and Aunt Christina please come too. Tell no one where you're come tonight."

Christina mutters something about a 'date'. I grin and say "Uriah can wait. He's got—

But my brother clears his throat loudly and I stop again.

"How long have you been in the city?" Mom asks.

"A few days." TJ responds. "We've been staying in our father's old living quarters in Dauntless."

Zeke chuckles and says "That places has been shut down for years. They closed off all the entrances."

TJ glares at him and Zeke laughs harder. "Whoa, Four, this is your boy. I've seen that look way too many times."

"As if that could stop us. Besides, they didn't close off the net entrance. But I'm sure you knew that." TJ says.

Zeke scratches his neck and mutters "I heard…a rumor…but…"

"It's true."

"But there's no power." Christina says. "What do you do for lights, heat, or food?"

"We manage." I say simply.

I rummage in my pocket and find the folded, crumpled square photo. I smooth it out as I walk over to my father. He doesn't recoil from me and I hold out my hand.

"You left this in your old place, Dad."

He looks apprehensively at me, but takes the photo. His eyes wide slightly when he looks at it. It's him and my mother's class of initiates after they made it into Dauntless. He and my mother we dating by then, so they were standing right next to each other. A little too close. To anyone else looking at it, they probably wouldn't suspect anything. Tris walks over and looks at the photo and smiles.

"I look so…young." She chuckles.

"And beautiful, Mom." I sigh. She looks at me curiously, then smiles softly.

Dad pockets the photograph and sighs. He closes his eyes and scratches his scruffy chin full of hair.

"Say we do believe you. Will you agree to be honest with us with every question we ask?"

"We'll try." I say. "Remember revealing too much could change everything. Just being here is shifting so much."

TJ says "That's why there's only some things we can share with you two. If we were to share it with everyone, anything could happen."

"Who's to say we won't share it?" Dad says with a small smirk on his face.

"You won't want to share this." I say.

Mom nodded and touched her stomach gingerly.

"You should go home and rest, find Uncle Caleb and meet us back here." TJ says looking at her softly.

I nod in agreement and say "Please Mom, go rest. You need it."

She eyes us with her eyebrows cocked upward. As she presses her palms into her stomach, I look at her to Christina who's eyes were now wide. I knew she understood now. Although I'm sure she knew.

"Tris…oh…my God." she breathes.

"What? Christina, what is it?"

But Christina says nothing and shakes her head. Too much excitement for one day could kill someone. Or me or my brother to be exact.

TJ picks up his sword and looks over at me. He's ready to go and so I am.

"What's with the sword kid?" Zeke chuckles folding his arms over his chest. "You a professional ninja in the future?"

"It was a gift." TJ says turning to the elevator. "Oh, you might want to get a medical team over here. Amar and his squad are probably still knocked on the fiftieth floor. I knocked them out with a flash memory serum grenade. They won't remember anything from the past two hours. Make sure you wake them up back at the office. So there won't be too many questions."

I turn on my heel and follow my brother as he presses the button near the doors. They ding open and suddenly her voice calls behind us.

"Be careful. Don't…don't walk too close to the chasm edge."

I turn and grin at her and say "Don't worry. You taught me better than that."

I see her face, glowing slightly with a smile. As the doors close, I think I can see her. The mother I've always known.

The mother who's life, I just might be able to save.

**Bah bah bum...more chapters coming soon. :-) **

**Be brave.**


	8. Chapter 8

**My apologies for any typos or anything. enjoying writing this story. i would love to know your thoughts, leave me a review! we're gonna get to see TJ and Natalie's stories soon which are super exciting. well at least to me haha. thanks for reading. **

Chapter 8

Tobias

Tris and I enter our home and I immediately walk into the bedroom. There on the dresser is the sculpture my mother gave me when I was younger. It is shiny and beautiful, unlike the sculpture my son had.

My son.

I couldn't believe the words inside my head. I'm still waiting on Tris' hand to graze my face and wake me up. Urging me to go to work. But I know this was no dream. I still felt like I was floating.

I see Tris standing in the doorway, her body nearly drowned by my old sweater. Her hips still jutted out in curves underneath it. I swallowed, my throat dry and I realized how thirsty and hungry I was. I didn't get a chance to eat lunch. Nor did Tris. She looked pale and a little shaky.

"I'm going to make us something to eat. Lay down, honey." I say grabbing her hand softly, leading her to the bed. She sighs and pulls herself into my chest. I kiss her forehead and smell her hair. It is still painted with honeysuckle, but not as strong as it was this morning.

"I can't believe it, Tobias…I can't believe it."

"I know." I say. "I still think we're in a simulation."

She shakes her head in my chest and says "No. I know we're not. I would've woke up by now. But…our children. Those are our kids. They're so strong and beautiful. Just like you. They look just like you how I wanted our kids to."

I feel her heartbeat against my own and I breathe deeply and say "Really? They look like you. I'm glad they're just as beautiful as you are."

"TJ…he could be your twin, Tobias." She gasps softly looking up at me.

I couldn't deny that the boy took strongly after me. But his eyes were hers and his face was softer than mine. He was shorter than I thought he would be. But he couldn't be anymore than fifteen at most, maybe he would grow taller.

I thought about how his back was sketched in the same black ink that covered my own and wondered why he would get them. Was it a tribute to me?

I pushed the arrogant thought out of my head and embraced Tris more.

"Natalie…she's…" Tris began.

"Like her mother. Strong and beautiful." I say finishing her sentence.

Tris' eyes well up glossy and she cries softly into my chest. I am slightly shocked by it.

"What's wrong, Tris? Tris?"

She sniffs and says "Tobias…we have a family in the future. You and me. That's all I've ever wanted. I was so afraid…that it'd never happen. Cause my whole stupid fear of intimacy."

I chuckle and kiss her mouth. She presses back.

"You sure you still have that fear? You seem pretty 'dauntless' when you let go." I smirk. She hits my shoulder lightly and grins. "Shut up."

"Resurgent…I never would have thought something like could have existed." I say thinking back to future Caleb's video.

"Natalie's eyes. They turned orange, like the Dauntless attack serum that destroyed Abnegation." Tris said her eyes wide. I didn't see them, but I know she was able to control Zeke and Christina somehow.

I suppose I should feel more surprised by fact my future children have some kind of super genetic abilities, but honestly, I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact I have children in the first place. Twins at that. There's a part of me that still doesn't believe it.

Tris' body trembles a little in my arms and I look down at her. Her eyes are puffy and blotchy from crying.

"C'mon, why don't you rest. I'll bring you some food."

She nods and sits down on the bed, crossing her legs as she leans her back against the wall. Her arms are wrapped around the fluffy pillow and she's breathing deeply into the fabric.

As I walk into the kitchen, I open the cabinet and pull a loaf of sliced bread out. We would have to go shopping soon as it was halfway gone. Our fridge was nearly empty too when I open it. I pull out two packages of cold cuts, one turkey, the other chicken. I decide to just use the rest since there were only a few slices left in each. I pile the sandwiches as high I can with whatever cheese and wilting lettuce I find.

I grabbed the plates and a container of mixed fruits that were chopped into chunks and slices, balancing them and two bottles of water in the nook of my right arm. I walk back into the bedroom and see Tris still sitting on the bed, staring at the photograph Natalie gave to me.

"How'd she find that?" I say sitting on the bed, placing a plate with a sandwich in front of her. She's smiling at it and her bright eyes are so focused on the image, she doesn't look at what she's eating. After taking a large bite of the sandwich, she chews a few times and swallows.

"You left it there. In your apartment. I forgot we took this."

I lean over and see my eighteen year old self and sixteen year old Tris standing next to me. It wasn't visible, but I remember us holding hands behind the initiates in front of us.

"They shouldn't be staying there. In Dauntless. With no lights or heat or food." She mumbles picking at the lettuce in her sandwich.

I stop midway through my bite and shake my head.

"Tris…they can't stay here. We barely have room for ourselves!"

She looks up at me indignantly, her eyes piercing through my own.

"We have a couch and a floor. They can sleep in our bed for all I care, I'll sleep on the floor."

"You really believe them so easily, Tris! I can't understand you."

She balls her fists up and breathes hard.

"You don't trust me?"

There it is. The question that has always been a thorn with us. Of course I trust her. It's them I don't trust. But I see it in her eyes. She's so convinced that this isn't some sick joke. That these two people who've come out seemingly nowhere are from a future that we cannot even fathom. That they have some sort of power that we have yet to understand. I can't believe such a tall tale so easily.

"I do trust you Tris. You know I do. That's not the problem here."

She eats her sandwich more and then opens the container of fruit. Her fingers pick at a sliced strawberry and honey dew and she pops them in her mouth together. She sucks the juice from her thumbs then wipes the residue on her pants.

"Tobias. I know it doesn't seem real. That it doesn't seem possible. But we know there's a whole world out there now. That this, this city isn't the only thing left in the world. We've seen things. I almost died. But somehow, I came back. Some how I'm here. I know it's crazy, Tobias. But lately…lately I've been feeling strange. I feel like something is going to happen. That whatever we did all those years ago, was only the beginning. Then they show up and look just like you and me. I feel like I've known them. Because I know they're us."

I shake my head and fold my hands on my lap. Tris is chewing her bottom lip and staring at me, her eyes glossing over again. I feel my jaw stiffen a little.

"You really want to help them?" I ask with a sigh.

"More than anything, Tobias." She says looking at the window. The sun was fading now and the light was a gradient of yellow and orange. Small dust particles danced in the rays between the canvas curtains.

"Okay." I agree. "We'll see what's up."

She puts the plate with the bread crusts and pieces of lettuce on the nightstand beside her. Tris rises on her knees and pulls me toward her and kisses me. Her lips are sticky from the fruit. I taste pineapple on my lips when she breaks away from me.

"Thank you. Thank you." She breathes into my shoulder. I rub her back tenderly and she she sighs and inhales in small intervals. It doesn't take me long to realize she's fallen asleep.

I lay down with her and watch her hair fall over her face. Her eyelids are fluttering and her mouth falls open a little. I roll over on my back and stare at the off white ceiling above me, counting the jagged lines and cracks in them. It felt small around me. The space. If we were to have a family, we'd need to move out.

I closed my eyes and imagined small legs and feet running through the hallway, running into my arms as I pick up the small body with them. Tris' eyes are staring at me, wide and bright and little plump lips are open and smiling with no teeth. I smile to myself. I feel Tris' body shift next to mine and nudge a little closer to me.

I'm woken up to the sound of the toilet flushing and I open my eyes to see the alarm clock read eight-forty five. I didn't expect to be asleep that long. I wonder why I feel so tired?

Tris walks out of the bathroom, in a black tank top and blue jeans. Her bare feet are pattering against the wooden floor and toward the small closet door in front of our bed. She opens it and takes out a black leather jacket with quilted panels on the breasts and pockets. Her hair is brushed down evenly on each side and her cheeks seem brighter and fuller than earlier today.

"Feeling better?" I say with a yawn.

She doesn't look at me as she bends down to pull out her short black boots. "Yes. Hurry and get dressed, we have to go get Caleb, I'm sure he's still at the office and I don't want to miss the train."

I almost open my mouth to ask why we needed to find Caleb, but then I remembered. Today wasn't a dream as I hoped.

I rise out of the bed slowly. I look down at my feet and sigh. I knew that Tris wouldn't stop until she helped these strange children out. Children she so desperately believed belonged to us. I had a bad feeling my stomach when I slipped on my shoes and grabbed my black hooded sweatshirt from the navy suede chair my mother got for me when I moved in here. She said it really was a peace offering for Tris, but they still aren't as close as I'd like them to be. It's still weird for me at times being around Evelyn.

Tris was nearly out the front door when I heard her call to me. "Tobias, pick up the pace."

"I'm coming! Calm your horses. Sheesh."

I looked at the small ornate sculpture on my dresser and imagined the duplicate I saw earlier transform into the hologram machine. I shake my head.

Soon, Tris and I make our way down to the street. We don't live that far away from the train tracks, but they were always headed south from where we lived and worked. If we wanted to ride them, we'd have to walk a bit further. Luckily we were going south tonight to get Caleb. From there we could catch a line straight to the Hancock Building on the way back.

The streets were chilly and still a little full. Some people were just leaving work, police trucks were parked or patrolling quietly. I waved to one of them passing by. A former Dauntless woman with a bat tattoo on her neck I used to work with in the computer rooms gave me a curt nod as she turned the corner. A lot of them just couldn't let go of the jobs that allowed them to carry a gun.

Thinking of that, I realized I still had the pistol Zeke gave me earlier. It was holstered behind my back, the sweatshirt covering it. I fumbled behind me quickly to make sure the safety was on and to my relief it was. I hope I wouldn't have to use it tonight. I was afraid of how much it felt foreign in my hands earlier, but still comfortable and familiar at the same time. When I fired at the boy the recoil of it felt good. I shuddered at the thought.

Tris is a few steps ahead of me near the stairs going toward the tracks. She turns to me and then looks down at her watch.

"Nine o' five." She says. "The train should be here in five minutes, and it'll only take us about ten or fifteen to get to Caleb. We won't have much time to convince him. He'll just have to come for himself. I hope Christina and Zeke are still coming. She said she'd bring Cara right?" she asks me anxiously.

"I don't remember her mentioning it." I say walking up the stairs next to her.

"Damn." she mutters nervously.

"Tris. Calm down." I say putting my hands on her shoulders as she stops looking down the tracks for the train.

"I'm trying. But…"

"You're excited and scared at the same time?" I say raising an eyebrow at her.

"Yes." She says. Even though her head is turned, I can feel her grinning. It's the way she looks at me when she wants me. When she lets go and wants my body on top of hers. No clothes. Between her thighs.

I have to keep focused.

The train roars in the distance. It's early.

"Perfect." Tris says her eyes still gleaming even under the night sky. She grabs my hand and then we run.

**See you all next chapter! **


	9. Chapter 9

**So this is a longer chapter. But we're about to delve into the memories of Natalie and TJ in the next chapters. Let me know your thoughts on the story. Leave me a review. All constructive feedback is welcomed. Apologies for any typos.**

Chapter 9

Tris

I know Tobias doesn't understand or really believe me. But there is something inside me that I cannot explain that tells me this is real. When I look into both Natalie's and TJ's eyes, I see myself and I see Tobias. I see everything I love about my husband in their faces. The lips, the ears, the thick eyebrows. His hair.

I see my mother in their cheeks. I see my father in their chins and hands. I even see my brother.

We sit on the train quietly. The compartment is empty and the only sound is the wind whistling through the cracks of the door and the wheels skating along the tracks. Tobias stands by the door, his back to me. He scratches the back of his head and yawns softly.

"You need a haircut." I say looking at the dark brown hair grown all over his head. It's messy and stands up in certain places. Tobias runs his large hand through it, trying to smooth and pad it down. It works a little, but it is still a little thick and wild. He murmurs something I couldn't understand and I sigh to myself.

I know believing this is hard for him. It's hard for me still. I want it to be nothing more than a simulation, a dream I can force myself awake from. But I know it isn't. I've been pinching myself to make sure I'm awake and I know I am when I see my skin blotch in angry red marks from my fingertips.

I see the facility where Caleb and Cara work. They work in the laboratories that help the Department of Agriculture develop serums that increase food growth and nutrient enhancement. It's good work and pays Caleb well. But he told me he puts a lot of his money into city reconstruction programs, scientific advancements, and, probably at Susan's influence, food pantries in the city. How very Erudite and Abnegation of him.

The train comes to a halt slowly as it pulls up to the stop. There's a few people waiting on the benches and standing on the path where the doors will open. I assumed they were just getting off work because not too many people ride the trains at night. There hasn't been too much crime here in the city since we exposed the truth about the faction experiment, but that doesn't mean it hasn't happened. But Amar, George, Zeke, and the rest of the police crew are really good at patrolling the streets, but even they can't do everything.

Tobias and I find ourselves in front of the building where Caleb works. It is rectangular and made of tan colored stone. Above the large glass doors with brass handles reads "Lab - South Wing".

We walk in and find the elevators. The building was quiet unlike during the day when it is frantic with people coming in and out. Caleb always worked late and I would hear from Susan at our lunches that he would disappear for days on end. She finally had enough and told him she would leave him if he vanished because of work again. Caleb chose Susan, but he definitely was still obsessed with his job.

Once we were in the elevator I pushed the button to the ninth floor. Tobias looked down at his watch and I peered over at it. It was nine-twenty five. We'd have to explain to Caleb on the way.

Once the doors open I'm staring down the long hallway where Caleb's lab is located four doors on the right. The fluorescent lights above me are bright and hurt my eyes a little. They must have just been replaced because the light is vivid and white. The small hum I hear from them in the silence is strong.

"Hopefully he's still here." Tobias says walking down the hall.

"He's here. Trust me." I say.

He freezes up next to me and gives me a sideways look full of contempt and weariness.

"I didn't mean it like that." I say looking at him. He says nothing and simply walks in front of the lab door. It is made of thick wood with a narrow window on the top. I knock three times and wait for an answer. Nothing. I jiggle the handle and find it open, so we go inside.

The lab is dark all aside from the desk light where Caleb is slumped over the table. His white lab coat is crisp and spotless on his body. There is a computer screen to his left and on it is a complex image of spheres connected by bars. It is twisting and moving. Each bar rung is red then blue and sometimes yellow. Above his desk is an assortment of glass beakers and books, all stacked neatly on each other. I walk closer to him and see small pictures of him and me, then our parents, and Susan arranged neatly in a line next to a container full of pencils, pens, a ruler, scissors, and other foreign metal instrumentals.

Caleb's head is leaned down and his face is turned, mouth open, against a heavy book with black and white pages. He is snoring lightly and a line of his drool is dripping onto the page.

I chuckle and tap him. He stirs a little. I roll my eyes and shout loudly "Caleb!"

He jumps up, knocking the book to the floor and swings his arms around wildly, almost knocking his keyboard onto the floor. His eyes flutter and scan the room madly before he focuses on me. Caleb blinks and rubs his eyes with his knuckles, then wipes his wet mouth on the sleeve of his lab coat.

"Beatrice! I didn't hear you come in, I'm sorry!" He yelps obviously embarrassed he fell asleep at work.

"What time were you supposed to get off?" I ask pursing my lips together.

He fumbles in his pockets and looks upward at the clock near the right of the room.

"Well…technically four and a half hours ago. But it's fascinating, Beatrice we're really coming along with the developments on the—

"That's great Caleb, you know I'd love to hear all about it." I lie "But we need your help. You have to come with us. It's…hard to explain. You'll have to see it for yourself."

"Who's we—-oh, hello Tobias! I didn't see you!" Caleb says turning toward the door where Tobias is leaning against a black desk scowling into space. He's irritated and it sends a wave of annoyance through my chest. I didn't feel like trying to convince him I knew he trusted me or console his feelings right now. This was bigger than him. Even me.

Tobias throw two lazy fingers toward his brother-in-law and his jaw stiffens.

Caleb turns to me and says "What is it Beatrice? Are you in trouble?"

"Sort of…I think I am. Well we all are." I say nervously. "Can you keep an open mind?"

Caleb contorts his face a little and crinkles his eyebrows together. He sighs deeply and says "Of course Beatrice. I suppose you'll explain on the way, right?"

I nod and he turns off the desk light and opens a long cabinet door near the side of his desk. Inside are three more crisp white lab coats, a blue oxford shirt, and a blue nylon jacket. He takes the lab coat off and hangs it up neatly on an empty hanger, then removes the blue jacket, putting it on.

"Let's go." I say.

We leave the building quickly and make our way back on the train stop. Caleb checks his watch and looks up toward the night sky. He's muttering to himself about something with the crops at the Amity farms and how the atmospheric pressure will do something. I'm not really focused on what he's saying. I look over to Tobias who's still chewing the inside of his cheek, making his jaw tighten and constrict.

"If you keep eating your cheek, you won't be hungry for dinner." I say lightly looking at the tracks.

"I'm not hungry. Besides it's too late to be eating." He says stiffly not looking at me.

"Are you going to be nice or are you going to be angry at me all night?"

He sighs irritably and opens his mouth to say "Tris. Not now."

I don't want to get into an argument with him. Especially in front of Caleb, but he's pissing me off, and also making me a little sad. I guess he doesn't see what I see. I can't expect him to.

The train comes and we quickly board, finding another car to ourselves. Tobias stands at the front, away from my brother and me as we sit down. I feel a small pang in my stomach as I watch his back face me in the distance. We'll be a little late to the Hancock Building but not by that much. I also would have to trust Christina would bring Cara. Or even that her and Zeke would even show up at all.

I turn to Caleb and he looks at me with worry and curiosity in his eyes.

"What's this all about Beatrice?" He says his hands folded in his lap.

"Well…today, I was kidnapped."

His eyebrows shoot up on his forehead and he gasps.

"I'm clearly okay! The people who took me didn't hurt me. In fact they…they need my help. Our help. All of us."

Caleb's mouth is still slightly ajar and he shakes his head. "That doesn't make sense. Why would someone kidnap you, not hurt you, and then ask for help? It isn't logical."

I hear Tobias snort up front, but he tries to cover it up with a cough. I glare at him for a few seconds but then turn back to my brother.

"I know…but they…well I think it's best you see for yourself. They've shown us things. Things that seem really crazy and impossible, but remember I asked you to keep an open mind?"

He stares at me and then nods slowly.

"They have a message for you." I say.

His face drains a little with dread. Caleb wipes his glistening brow with his left palm and then wipes the sweat on his jeans.

"Really? Wh-what is it?" He stammers.

"I don't know. But you'll have to listen to it. It's important. Trust me." I say.

Caleb shakes his head. "Trusting you isn't the issue, Beatrice. It's whether or not these people, who kidnapped you, can be trusted."

I look at Tobias, expecting him to make a noise in agreement with my brother but he stands still and says nothing.

"I think they can. Like I said you'll have to see for yourself."

It's three minutes after ten when the train stops near the Hancock Building. We lightly jog toward the entrance, the street barren and silent under our footsteps. There's a few buildings still lit up and I see shadows moving behind curtains, but that's about it. As we turn the corner onto the street where the building is, a group of young people talking and laughing amongst themselves almost walks into us. They smell like bitters, whiskey, and cigarettes, it makes my nose cringe.

"Sorry, man!" One of them, who can only be eighteen, slurs as he nearly trips over Tobias' foot. I almost think Tobias will punch him in the face, but he scowls and lets him pass with the rest of his friends. We make it to the Hancock Building and it's nearly dark inside as well as out.

"Why are we going in here?" Caleb asks curiously.

"You'll see Caleb." I say walking toward the front doors. They're locked when I pull on them and I turn around, placing my hand to my warm forehead. I shift toward Tobias who's picking something out his fingernails. He hasn't looked at me once since we left Caleb's office.

"Maybe…they left?" Caleb says softly.

No. I shake my head and look around the building. There must be a window or something we could crawl into. A vent or backdoor. I start circling toward the back, when I hear Tobias sigh indignantly.

"Tris, come on! I'm not doing this with you, I'm going home." He says coldly and turns away from the building. I almost shout at him to leave, that I would be better without him and his attitude, but I realize I couldn't do this without him. To be honest, I didn't feel safe if he didn't stay.

Caleb looks suspiciously between the both of us and shakes his head a little. Suddenly a few lights in the lobby come to life. I feel my stomach jump with anxiety and excitement. I turn to the doors and a tall figure is walking toward them. The glass doors on the Hancock Building are opaque so I can't make out who it is exactly opening the door. But when they creak open I feel my heart jump in my throat and I gulp hard.

It is Natalie. She is real. She is smiling, no beaming at me. Her intense eyes are narrow and moist. My eyes. My father's eyes.

"You came." She choked slightly.

"Yes." I breathed. Natalie peered over my shoulder to see Caleb straining to get a view of who I was speaking with. Tobias stopped his departure and stood with his muscular arms crossed over his chest.

"You bought Uncle Caleb." She said opening the door up for me to enter. "He's as handsome as ever."

I follow her in, but pause when I see Caleb and Tobias not moving. I hold the door open and say to them. "Are you coming or are you going to stand out there looking curious and pouting like a baby?"

Caleb looks nervously at Tobias who glares into space, anger and ice seeping into his eyes. He walks in behind Caleb slowly and the three of us stand in the lobby that's still all but dark. The only light now came from the small wall lamps near the elevator. Natalie came from the shadows to stand in front of us. Caleb gasps a little and raises a shaky finger at her.

"Where did…she…she looks…" But he couldn't finish. Natalie smiled at him and then at me.

I look around the lobby and ask "Where's your brother?"

Natalie shrugs and says "Playing ninja on out on one of the balconies I'm sure. I'll call him. Zeke and Christina are already here. They bought Cara. We explained, roughly, what happened here today. She took it rather well. I guess something like this would intrigue an old Erudite like her."

I nod and she presses a small black earpiece in her right ear with her long fingers. Her nails are pointed and painted a deep plum color. I notice the white shirt and gray pants she had on earlier have been replaced with a black cropped t-shirt and a high-waisted leather pants. Her stomach is flat, smooth, and defined. My body definitely didn't look like hers at her age. But everything else was so recognizable.

"Hey Wandering Swordsman, our folks are here, you ready to get the party started? Natalie speaks into the earpiece. There's a static murmur that comes out and she rolls her eyes, but then smiles.

"He's on his way." She says.

"Our folks?" Caleb asks nervously.

Natalie peers around me and Caleb toward Tobias and she frowns slightly.

"Dad?" She asks softly.

He ignores her and I feel my face grow hot and I taste bile on my tongue. Natalie's expression grows sullen and she looks down at the glossy floor of the lobby.

"Ignore Four" I say coldly.

He glares at me now and he opens his mouth to retort, but suddenly a blur of blonde and dark colors flips down from the level above us and lands perfectly on two feet clad in tall black boots.

TJ rises with his sheathed sword in his hand. He looks piercingly at all of us and Caleb jumps back, tripping over his feet and crashing to the floor. He looks at the sword then to the face, back to the sword, but finally back on his face. His eyes widen and he gasps.

"You…look a lot like…" "Yeah I know." TJ says abruptly. "Nice to see you Uncle Caleb."

Caleb's mouth hangs open and his glasses are crooked on his face. He pulls at his hair and stares madly at Natalie and TJ.

"Uncle…" He whispers. I help him to his feet and I say "Remember. Open mind."

He nods very slowly and his face is blotchy and flushed now. Caleb fumbles in his jacket pocket for a small linen handkerchief and pats his forehead dry of the dripping sweat he's now producing profusely.

"Shall we go? No need to keep them waiting any longer." TJ says turning toward the elevator with his sword clutched deeply in his hand. He presses the button to call the car and it opens with the standard ding. We all pile in except for Tobias who looks out the lobby windows onto the street.

"You coming, Old Man? Or are you scared?" TJ says holding the doors open with his strong, muscular arm. Tobias says nothing and walks toward the elevator compartment. He wedges himself away from me and beside Caleb near the right corner in the back. The doors close we rise toward the top. I stand next to Natalie who's humming something familiar. Her dark hair is thick just like Tobias' and hits right above her shoulders. TJ is wearing a dark blue tank top that is cut narrow in the back. His back tattoos are exactly like his father's. The five factions are present even under the strip of fabric and the Dauntless flames curve over his shoulders.

Caleb stares at them intently and says "Nice tattoos…they look familiar."

"They're a family heirloom." TJ says staring at the elevator doors. I look over at Tobias who's studying them curiously. We're two floors away and he turns to me and moves the front of his shirt to his right. My eyes widen when I see three birds inked above his collar bone and I touch my own chest lightly. I touch nothing but the leather of my jacket but I know the image all too well. It's the first tattoo I got when I chose Dauntless.

"Like I said, family heirloom." He repeats turning back to the front.

Natalie smiles as the doors ding open and she says "It's a good story on how he got them. You'll see, Mom."

We walk out into the top of the building and find Zeke, Christina, Cara, and Uriah sitting on the floor talking casually. My eyes widen incredulously at the sight of Uriah who grins and waves at all of us.

"You bought Uriah, Christina?" I say a little too harshly than I wanted.

She raises her eyebrows at me and rolls her eyes irritably, but then chuckles. "He invited himself. I couldn't stop him. Besides, the twins said it was cool."

Uriah grinned and said "Your kids come from the future and want us to infiltrate the Bureau of Genetic Welfare to destroy a file and you expect me to sit at home, Tris?"

Caleb stops in his tracks and looks at me flabbergasted with his mouth agape. "Beatrice, what?!"

I shake my head and say "They'll explain everything. I promise."

"Don't be so sure." Tobias mutters walking past us to sit down next to Zeke. I ignore him and lead Caleb toward the group. We sit next to Christina and Cara who's sitting with her knees pressed into her chest. She nods to me and smiles. Caleb looks nervously at her and Christina, his glasses fogging up from his sweating face..

"No need to panic, Caleb. I assure you it's a logical explanation for this. Or rather I want to believe there is one." Cara says calmly. It's something I've always admired about her, she doesn't panic. Or at least she's very good at hiding it.

Natalie and TJ walk out from a dark corner with the glass water sculpture. It's crack seems deeper than from when I saw it earlier, but it is the exact one Tobias has in our apartment on the dresser.

"So. I'm glad you all came." Natalie begins as she watches her brother sit the sculpture down carefully in the middle of the floor. "I promised you we'd reveal only what needed to be revealed. I can't emphasize how important this is. The future of everyone depends on it. I can't try to convince you anymore than showing TJ and I's memories. It's….hard. What you're about to see are events that have happened over a course of several long months, probably nearly eight to be exact."

TJ crouched on his strong legs and looked up at his sister. She nods a little and says as he fumbles for the button again. "This message is for Uncle Caleb from, well, Uncle Caleb. From the future."

I feel my brother breathe deeply into his handkerchief and then wipe his face again. His hair is slightly damp and he looks slightly sleep deprived. He grips the linen cloth in his fingers and watches the twins cautiously. TJ presses the button and the long black viewing scope rises up again out of the sculpture. Caleb gasps out of shock and amazement. As much as he's panicking, his curious nature is also being stroked.

The holographic screen and image burst in a arc of light. Future Caleb appears and I feel the present one gasp again, his eyes wide and mouth open. Cara and Uriah are also sitting up stiffly, their eyes equally open and focused on the screen.

"This is a message to myself." Future Caleb begins. "Caleb, I know that this may be something of a shock to you, seeing your thirty-two year old self speak about things that are illogical and unfathomable, but you must put that aside. At least for the current moment. I have sent my niece and nephew back in time to infiltrate the Bureau of Genetic Welfare and destroy a file with notes about a failed experiment called the Resurgent Project. You should know what file I'm talking about as you and Cara both came across it when you were younger."

I look at him and Cara and they both look at each other. Caleb's voice tries to speak but nothing but a raspy and hoarse groan comes out. Cara says nothing and rocks back on her legs as she continues to watch the screen.

"It is imperative that you and Cara tell the others about what you came across. You are the only ones who've seen it and know what it's contents entail. It must be destroyed at all costs, Caleb. Our lives, our sister's life, our brother-in-law's life, and just about everyone else's depends on the destruction of that file."

Future Caleb's eyes shift slightly to the right quickly as if he's heard a noise. He pauses for several long seconds, leaning forward slightly to see if his suspicions are true. Finally he sits back slowly and clears his throat.

"I have left very special and detailed instructions for you and Cara to complete while the mission to extract and destroy the file is taking place. You must begin working on it immediately. I have given the instructions to my niece who will hand them over to you. Again, this is not a dream or simulation. It may not be logical, but neither was time travel and we finally invented that."

Caleb's shoulders stiffen around me and I feel his body slowly shift to get comfortable on the floor. To hear his future self invents time travel is a treat he cannot fathom. Neither can I honestly.

"Remember, be diligent in your mission. Tobias and Natalie have a strategy myself and a few others in this time period have came up with. Trust them."

The image disappears and the wind rustles through the room. The outdoor balcony where the zip line begins is open. I look at Natalie and TJ who are looking at everyone in the room.

"So…you two…you've seen this so called Resurgent file?" Uriah asks leaning forward on his elbows.

Cara and Caleb look at each other apprehensively. But Cara finally says "Yes we have. But we didn't know it would cause any problems in the future. It was an obsolete experiment that was full of genetic testing of Divergent offspring. The trials and recordings Caleb and I saw were…disturbing to say the very least. A lot of it involved surgical amputation and shock therapy. Very primitive and barbaric. I can see why it was shut down."

I look at my brother who's still trying to understand how his future self could communicate with him and let alone develop time travel.

"Caleb. You know what the file looks like?"

He looks up at me and lowers his eyes between his lap and the square dark tile he's sitting on.

"I think so…but there were so many files in there! A lot of them were identical. How're we supposed to remember something like that?"

"It was in a dark blue folder with green tabs on it. It also had the United States Government Seal on it." Cara says almost automatically. "Top shelf near the fear landscape animals experiments."

"You're good." Christina breathes in amazement. Cara flashes a quick grin at her.

"But who's to say they haven't moved the files? The room could be gone in the Bureau. They could've have already destroyed it themselves." Zeke says looking at me then at Natalie and TJ.

TJ begins "I highly doubt that. When my mother reset the memory of the Bureau, they had to be told what their purpose was again. They were told to focus on leaving genetic damage and genetic purity testing behind. The Bureau still works with genetics, but it's focused on more pharmaceutical matters now. You know like understanding how certain diseases or ailments are hereditary. They aren't focused on behavioral matters within someone's genetic makeup anymore."

"Which means" Natalie says after him "That they probably don't even know the room even exists in the place. They know there's old parts of the Bureau but the room with the failed experiments is only one of many rooms with obsolete materials or junk."

Cara pauses and says "Well, you could be right. I don't see them delving into the lower levels of the building to try to sift through old rooms, not when their focus has shifted. But the person who wasn't affected by the memory reset could easily already be protecting the file. If they knew what really happened three years ago, then who's to say they aren't putting the Resurgent project back in motion?"

TJ and Natalie say nothing. Caleb finally piques up and says "That's could be true. But if these two are from the future then that must mean the project must take sometime to develop, right? It's not something a person could make within the course of a few days or months."

Natalie nods and smiles. "Exactly. Even if they are guarding or beginning to develop the project now, they can't without the file. That file has all the research, instructions, and everything. It's not backed up on a computer either which makes the information even more valuable."

"Okay, okay, but I'm not convinced this is something worth storming into the Bureau for. We still don't know who the person is doing the experiment or even how we're going to get inside without being arrested by the government. That's a federal building after all. I'm all down for a little adventure and action, but I'm not trying to get thrown in jail or almost die…again." says Uriah.

I look at everyone who slowly nods in agreement with Uriah. I stop at Tobias' face who's now looking directly into my eyes. I see the cold frustration and anger that's been there all night, but also, pleading. It's the same look he gave me when he asked me to not go into Erudite headquarters when we were younger. When I betrayed his trust for the first time. It makes me sick to my stomach to feel I was doing it again. As much as I asked him to trust me, there's still moments where I don't allow myself to trust him.

Natalie and TJ say in unison "We have a plan."

"Oh really? Does it include us not getting shot at?" Christina asks brashly.

"Yes." Natalie says simply.

"Okay, but we still don't understand why this is so important in the first place?" Cara begins sitting up straight on the floor. "What's so threatening about a failed experiment. When Caleb and I scanned through it, there's no way what the file was talking about could exist. There's no such thing as genetically enhanced Divergent offspring who can run faster, heal quicker, be physically stronger than a regular human. Human genetics don't work that way. Evolution has take place over time. Long periods of time. You all aren't that far away from this time period, you mean to tell me you all are these Resurgent children?"

TJ glares slightly at her and looks at his sister. He shakes his head and closes his eyes.

Natalie purses her lips and says "Yes we are. We have abilities. The evolution did happen. It just wasn't that far off as you thought. The Resurgent gene, like the Divergent gene does exist. They're just not under some bullshit 'genetically pure or damaged' label the Bureau tried to pass them off as. After the Great War happened, humanity shifted. Evolution just didn't happen, adaptation did. Some humans found they could run faster, learn knowledge more quickly, control their fears, control others, or even move things by their thoughts."

Cara snorts and says "You all have read too many books where you come from. Things like that only exist in stories."

Natalie breathes irritably and turns to her brother. He looks at her with his mouth tight and his fist are shaking. To my surprise, his eyes are glistening over and Natalie puts her hands on his shoulders.

"It's over." He mumbles.

"TJ, calm down, no it's not." Natalie gasps trying to reassure him. "Calm down."

"Mom and Dad…they're gonna die. Cause they think we're some kind of freaks and liars. It's over."

He fights to suppress a sob, his chest rising in quick huffs and his face going red. I want to run to him and pull him into my arms. But it's what he says that stops me.

"We're going to die? What are you talking about?" I say rising slowly from the floor.

"It doesn't matter!" TJ shouts, the boom of his sharp voice making me stop in my tracks.

"I'll storm the Bureau myself. I don't need them. I don't need anybody." He glares at all of us, his eyes sharp and cold. I've seen that look. It's the look Tobias gives when he's angry and feeling dangerous. Like he'll break your neck without a second thought if you stand in his way. I never wanted to be on the opposite end of it, it's as scary as I always knew it would be.

"You need me." Natalie sighs. "I need you. We're all we have. Remember?"

He bites his bottom lip and looks away from her and away from everyone. TJ nods and Natalie embraces him, her body towering over his slightly.

"You're still my little brother, even if we are twins. I'm not gonna let you go it alone. I won't let our parents end like this."

I look at them and I hear my heart pound in my ears. Then I hear Tobias' voice from the side of me.

"Don't you have something else to show us? Your memories right? Let us look at them, then decide from there whether or not it's worth trusting you and helping you destroy the file."

I look over and everyone else is focused on his him as well. Zeke's eyes widen and he chuckles. "Agreed. Let us see these…er…memories of yours. I still think this is a dream, but I have to say even with all the holes your story, you've got me curious. You two definitely aren't from around here, that much I can tell."

Cara still looks unconvinced. Her arms are folded over and she looks sternly at Natalie and TJ.

"We'll take a vote. After you show us." Christina says leaning back on her arms. I smile at my best friend and thank her silently. But I'm more grateful to Tobias who's staring at the twins as he bounces his legs on the ground in front of him. He looks up at me and gives me a weak smile and a wink. I grin and I sit back down next to my brother who's breathing calmly now. His eyes are focused on understanding, instead of being critical.

"You're the oldest." I say to Natalie. She smiles and nods.

"Yep, but I can't tell you by how many minutes though. You'll see for yourself. Soon."

Her glance down at my body and I look back curiously at her, but she's looking at her brother who's face is relaxed now. He looks so much like Tobias it makes me smile.

"How old are you kids anyway?" Uriah asks with his arm around Christina. I wondered if they got married and had children in the future. Maybe I would find out.

"Fifteen." Natalie responds. "Birthday wasn't too long ago."

"When is it?" I can't help myself from asking, but she puts up a waving finger and smirks.

"Now you know I can't tell you that Mom."

I sigh and fumble with my fingers.

"I will tell you, that the Dauntless cake we ate was delicious, though."

Uriah's eyes widen brightly and he seethes "You all had Dauntless cake! Man, I haven't had that in years. Wait—how?"

TJ shakes his head at his sister and she frowns a little. Uriah says "Ah, too much to say. Gotcha."

They sit on the floor with the sculpture in front of them and this time Natalie presses the small button on the side. The narrow scope rises up again from the twisting middle and stands erect in the air.

Natalie sticks out her left palm facing it toward her brother who takes it with his right hand. They clasps their fingers together and sigh deeply.

"You start TJ. It really began with you."

TJ nods and then they both close their eyes. There's a few moments of silence in the room and I see Cara shift a little to get a better view.

"What are they doing?" She asks.

"We're linking our memories of the past months' events. We have to concentrate, please be as quiet and still as possible." Natalie breathes evenly her eyes still closed.

Suddenly the arc of light bursts from the scope, but this time it is pouring out from the bodies of Natalie and TJ. Christina gasps and Uriah whispers "Holy…shit." I watch the holographic screen jump and flash. Caleb grips my hand a little and I hold tight to his. I'll admit, I was a little afraid of what I was about to see.

Suddenly the images flashed by quickly.

There was a beach seen through the eyes of a toddlers legs. They were covered with wet sand and jumped while giggling. The legs rose in the air by a pair of two strong hands and spun around in the air. There was a glimpse of a back covered in tattoos.

The image changed again and this time the legs were a little longer swinging high into the air.

"Faster, Mommy, faster!" The voice shouted. A pair of recognizable hands appeared and then a collarbone covered in three birds appeared.

Then the image flashed into two children no more than eight or nine running in a field of grass. The girl had startling eyes and dark hair that was long and flew behind her in the wind. She smiled, her teeth small and gums bright pink at someone.

"Natalie, Tobias! Time to go!" Came a deep voice from the distance.

Then the image shifted again.

This time I saw nothing but sunlight peering through an open window. I hear a sound. A buzzing. Deft hands and a pair of eyes in a mirror.

**Next chapter we'll get to see TJ's point of view! **


	10. Chapter 10

**Another longer chapter. This is TJ's (Tobias Jr.) viewpoint who'll be taking over the story for awhile. Pay attention to him and his observations! Remember to leave me a review with your thoughts. I'll be updating as it progresses. thanks for reading.**

**sorry for any typos. :-)**

Chapter 10

TJ

I sit in the creaking metal chair facing the bathtub while my father runs the clippers through my hair. I feel his strong fingertips on my temples as he keep my head still and steady. He smells of coffee and the soap Mom bought for him that was made of honeycombs and sandalwood. I keep my eyes focused on my feet that are slightly dangling in the new black and white sneakers I got last week. The small clips of my dark blonde hair was cascading slowly down in front of my face and on the floor. I feel a few hairs stand on my neck as he moves the clippers to the base of it. The vibration of them is tickling and I grip the seat in order to not squirm.

The clippers shut off and Dad says "All done." I turn around and watch him slide open the small mirror revealing the medicine cabinet behind it. He places the clippers next to a bottle of rubbing alcohol and cotton balls. My father's head is shaven so low that I can see he scalp muscles stick out a little. He's wearing a white tank undershirt and it clings to his muscular frame. Through the thin fabric I can see his ornate back tattoos that have always intrigued me since I was a small child. He slides the mirror back and turns to me with a smile. His eyes are intense and his brows are thick like my sisters and my own. My father scratches his thick dark brown beard and yawns.

"You wanna look at it?" He asks me stepping aside from the mirror.

I rise out of the metal chair, it scrapes a little against the blue tile of the bathroom, and I go to the mirror. My hair is trimmed neatly and low to my head. I stare at myself for a few long moments, taking in my long nose and protruding lower lip. I grimace a little and then look away.

"What is it? Is it uneven?" My father asks me looking over my head. He never cuts it uneven.

"No. It's fine. Thank you Dad." I say looking in the sink. The faucet is dripping a little, each droplet of water runs quickly into the chrome drain.

He grins when I look at him and he asks "You nervous?"

I look back at myself in the mirror again briefly. I shake my head trying to convince myself I wasn't. When honestly I couldn't tell if I was scared or not.

"It's okay." He says placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Well…maybe I'm a little nervous." I breathe.

Dad laughs and says "Well don't focus so much on it. It's just high school. Not a big deal."

"What were you doing at fourteen then?" I ask curiously.

He scratches his head and looks out the window. He turns away from me and says "Well I was in school, but I was trying to figure out how to escape my father, to be honest. I knew I had two more years in that house before I could leave. I was trying to survive."

I say nothing to him. I know stories of my grandfather were something of a taboo in the house. He was barely, if ever mentioned. I didn't even know if the man was still alive or not. I never even met him.

Dad turns back to me, still smiling and says "Just be grateful you don't have choose a faction when you turn sixteen! That's something to be nervous about."

I nod. I remember the stories of the faction experiments he and my mother told me about. How there were five and how they exposed the truth behind them when they were around my age. I heard stories of the way Chicago used to be and apparently my parents were rather well-known. People would often stare at us when we were out, and kids at school were either very curious about them or very cruel. I'd experienced the latter far more than curiosity however.

"You'd better get downstairs, your mother has breakfast ready. You know how she gets when eggs go cold."

I walk toward the door and he stops me and pulls me into a hug. He kisses my forehead and says "I'm proud of you, Junior."

I smile as he releases me and rubs my head ruffling my hair. A few more strands of hair fall out and I leave the bathroom to head toward the kitchen. When I enter narrow hallway, I see my sister's bedroom door open. I pass by it and see her twin sized bed is empty and messy, her sheets and blankets tossed everywhere in a pile. On the floor by her nightstand are magazines, a pair of canvas sneakers and a candy wrapper. I peer inside to see if she's in there, but I hear her voice come from the stairs. I turn and face my own room across from hers and I enter it. I made my bed after I woke up and tidied up a little. On my desk sat a pile of chapter books and a newspaper. I looked around to see if I was missing anything important to put in my backpack.

I look over the room quickly and see near my painting easel, my sketchbook is open near the floor. That's where I left it. I dart across the room and pick it up quickly. I hear Mom's voice yell up the stairs.

"Tobias! TJ! Get down here, I'm not heating up these eggs, they'll be disgusting!"

I grab my book bag off my desk chair and hold my sketchbook under my arm as I exit and run down the stairs. I hear my father behind me yell out "Calm your horses Tris! We're coming!" I forgot how fast he was, he was nowhere in sight when I left out my room.

I walk into the kitchen and find my mother drinking a cup of coffee near the kitchen sink. The sun is pouring through the small square windows above it, making her short boyish hairstyle glow. My mother is effortlessly beautiful the way she stands poised against the sink and she presses her powder pink lips to her favorite orange coffee mug, taking a short sip of the steaming hazelnut brew. She's wearing a tailored black pantsuit with high heeled leather ankle boots. She's humming something as she taps her long narrow fingers against the counter.

As I walk in she smiles at me and points at the table where my sister is wolfing down eggs and toast. I recoil sightly at her when she nods her head up at me with a grin, crumbs sticking to her face. But then I can't help but chuckle when she mouths through her bites.

"Have…some…eggs…bro?" She says handing me the plate the fluffy yellow mass is piled on.

I sit down and turn to see my father fully dressed in a steel grey suit and black oxford shirt put his arms around Mom's waist and nibble on her ear. He whispers something and she giggles hard as she struggles free from him. She turns into him and kisses him on the lips, but then raises a mug of coffee up to his face. He kisses her on the cheek quickly and then comes to join us at the table.

Natalie takes a big swig of red grapefruit juice and sighs. She's wearing a gray t-shirt with her favorite band, The Candor Liars, on it. Their symbol is a broken black and white scale with a skull head on top of it. The shirt looks new. She must have snuck it in our back-to-school pile when we went shopping with our parents.

"You wanna slow down there? The bus doesn't come for another twenty minutes." I chuckle as I take a deep swig of my juice. I pile a mass of scrambled eggs on some honey wheat toast and take a bite.

Natalie shakes her head and her eyes are lit with excitement. "I could but I'm so pumped. Today's the first day of high school. Do you know what this means?"

I look at Dad who's smiling as he puts butter on his chocolate chip muffin and I shake my head. "No what's it mean?"

"Well." Natalie says clapping her hands together. "It means we're rolling with the big dogs now. We get to have all access to social events, parties—I mean after school clubs and programs…"

She winks at me when Mom raises a suspicious eye toward her. Dad laughs and says "You really think you're going to have the time of your life don't you?"

"Of course Dad. I mean aside from all the 'fun' -she makes air quotes with her hands - stuff we're gonna be learning, we actually get to have more of a social life. For instance, I think I'm going to join Archery Club. I mean, we've got to find something outside of the classroom you know? Something to make friends."

Mom purses her lips and says "Well I'm not sure I'm fond of you learning how to shoot things, but you're right. Joining some clubs won't be a bad idea."

Dad nods in agreement and Natalie looks over at me with a raised eyebrow.

"What about you TJ? You could join the Wrestling Club, oh wait—I'm sure you'll be with the art weirdos. In Art Club right?"

I glare at her and roll my eyes. Dad smiles and said "Whatever you two do, I'm sure it'll be great. Besides I like the art weirdos. They sell some pretty cool work at the marketplace."

I smile at him. My father never made me feel like I was supposed to be anything other than what I wanted to be. Him and my mother never pressed my sister and I to do anything we didn't want to do. They let us simply be.

"Art club sounds a whole lot safer than Archery Club at any rate." Mom says turning to rinse out her coffee mug.

Natalie rolls her eyes and pops a whole muffin in her mouth. She chews it stiffly and her cheeks puff up and stretch as she struggles to swallow it.

"Are you storing food for the winter?" I tease and she narrows her eyes in a joking glare at me.

Mom looks up at the clocks near the back door in the kitchen and says "Alright you two. You've got ten minutes, start heading out."

I sigh and stare at my plate. There's a few eggs that are ice cold when I pick at them with my index finger. My sister raises out her chair and grabs her purple nylon backpack off the ground. She swings it over her shoulder and whistles as she walks to the backdoor.

"You coming bro?" She says looking at me.

I nod and get up, putting my bag on my back. Mom and Dad walk over to us, hugging us respectively. I smile at Mom who touches my chin tenderly.

"Head up, sweetheart." She says. I look at her warm face and she kisses me on my cheek. "There's nothing to worry about. You're smart, talented, and handsome."

I nod and Dad puts his hand on my shoulder stiffly. He beams at me and releases me and we turn to go outside.

We're walking down the front lawn of house, the dying grass and weeds crunching under our feet, when Mom calls out the kitchen window. "Have fun, stay out of trouble! Pay attention in class! Love you both!"

Natalie waves back to her and smiles when suddenly a pearl grey truck zooms in front of the house. We halt in our steps and watch the car's exhaust billow out in an acrid smelling smog. The truck vibrates loudly and the dark windows are slightly caked with dust and dirt. The passenger window rolls down and behind the steering wheel is our cousin Andrew, smirking behind dark square sunglasses.

"Get in freshman, I'm taking you to school." He chuckles leaning over so we can see his face better. Andrew is a year older than Natalie and me, so he's going to be starting his sophomore year today.

Natalie squeals with excitement and opens the passenger door, hoping in.

"Hell yes! I guess Uncle Caleb kept good on his promise, yeah? The truck is cool!"

Andrew grinned and hit the top of the steering wheel with his hand proudly. "He sure did. Got it for a great price. The gear shift sticks a little, but it runs fine all the same. AC doesn't really work though, definitely need to get that looked at. Hey, you think Uncle Tobias can give it a look?"

Natalie nods and looks at me through the window. "Get in TJ, we're gonna be late."

I walk toward the back door behind my sister and open it. In the backseat is Andrew's backpack, a lunch box, and a green windbreaker. I get in and the car smells of spearmint, Aunt Susan's apple pie, and whatever cologne Andrew had on, which was rather strong. Andrew honks his horn and strains his neck over Natalie in the front. I look out the window and see my parents faces appear at the window. Andrew waves happily at them and yells "Hi Aunt Beatrice and Uncle Tobias!"

"Hey Andrew!" Mom shouts out. "Caleb told me you got your truck. Be careful alright!"

He sticks his right thumb out the window and says "No problem! I'm a pro!"

His foot slips and he accidentally presses down on the accelerator making us lurch forward. Natalie's backpack falls off her lap and spills open in the floor. She glares at Andrew who laughs nervously. I see my father shake his head laughing and my mother's eyebrows are creased together and her lips tightened together.

"Oh hey Uncle Tobias, can you take a look under my hood after school? It's got a few kinks!" Andrew yells out the window once more. Dad nods and shouts "No problem! Don't kill yourself or my kids!"

Andrew laughs, his sunglasses sliding down the bridge of his nose a little. He pushes them back up and yells "Thank you!"

He speeds off down the street hard and then stops in front of our neighbors house, the Roths. Andrew jiggles the gear shift and struggles to pull it back in reverse. He backs up and turns around, then shifts back into drive. We zoom down our street and I get a glimpse of my parents before we turn onto the main road leading to the city.

We live about fifteen or twenty minutes away from the school but the way Andrew's driving we'll probably get there in ten. He's laughing and talking with Natalie in the front about this year coming up. All the windows are down except for the one behind Andrew's seat. The air is cool and brisk today, but it is still warm outside. I feel the heat from the sun still blast me in the backseat, making my back moisten with sweat. I see my sister hang her hand out the window, caressing the wind with her fingers as if she's trying to catch something flying through the air. Her hair is flying everywhere and she laughs hard at a joke Andrew made.

He hits the break roughly when we come into traffic. Two cars are ahead of us and one of them is a peculiar grey van with yellow letters emblazoned on the back that read 'D.G.D."

"Who are these clowns?" Andrew chuckles as the van pulls off after the brick red pickup turns right.

The DGD van turns left and we watch it go down the road. Andrew shrugs and keeps straight ahead toward the city. The school is right before the exit to that'll lead downtown and it's near several small office buildings. It's one of five high schools in the city. My mother told me as more people integrated from the fringe and from other states, the city needed more places, more jobs, more houses, and more schools. Even though it's been fifteen years, a lot of the city is still under construction. But those who've helped rebuilt it most are highly respected in the city. Including my parents. My father works as a city representative in one of the buildings downtown. He has his own office floor with about fifteen employees. After Johanna Reyes retired three years ago, she elected my father take her place. I remember the day when it happened, my mom threw him a big surprise party with all our family and friends.

Mom is an executive director at the Department of Integration and Relocation Services downtown. She works with Aunt Christina who's also on the executive board in the department. They both work close together to manage and oversee people coming into the city are well looked after. Mom is actually the reason why a lot of the apartments were renovated or added on to for the flood of people moving here. Sometimes, she'll take me and my sister with her on the weekends while she works.

I'm shaken out of my thoughts when we stop in front of the school. I peer out the window and look at all the kids running around the campus, sitting down on the grass with books, or loitering around the steps. A girl with curly auburn hair and coffee colored skin passes by Andrew's truck as we park. She walks over to a group of friends, one girl with a striped red shirt that reminded me of the peppermints Grandma Evelyn carries in her handbag, and a tall boy with messy black hair that was greasy. They laugh and the guy puts his arm around the girl with the curly hair.

"Well welcome to Chicago High School, Number 2. Keep your eyes focused and open, don't look too long at folks, do the bare minimum in class, and you'll be fine!" Andrew says opening his door. We all pile out of his truck and head toward the building. It is stone gray and made of graphite. The schools, including the elementary and middle ones, are all numbered to distinguish themselves from each other. Each family's children got assigned to whatever place they lived closest to.

"The building used to be a storage office for library books. My dad told me. They renovated it and converted it into classrooms and stuff." Andrew says walking beside me. I look at Natalie who's beaming around at everyone and everything. She's so happy I roll my eyes filling my lips press together in annoyance.

We enter the building through the metal doors that are painted red. The hallways are full of students by lockers that are either opening or closing loudly with slams. I look on the walls and see a glass case with the teachers and staff pictures inside. I don't study the faces for long because Andrew says "You'll want to go find your lockers. Freshman lockers are down the hall and to the left. Don't be late to home room. I'll see you guys at lunch. Everyone eats together. I'll find you."

He leaves and walks down the hall, brushing past a crew of talking girls by the lockers on the left. A boy with dark skin and bright white teeth calls out to him and I recognize him as Frankie, Andrew's best friend since middle school. Andrew turns back to us and grins, giving us a thumbs up. He rushes toward Frankie and they turn right down the hall.

"Well let's get on with it, shall we?" Natalie says excitedly looking at me.

I swallow and find my throat uncomfortably dry.

"New beginnings!" She says putting her arm over my shoulders, making me stumble a little from her weight. We walk down the hallway and I try to remember that this wasn't anything to be nervous about.

But why did I feel sick to my stomach?

The day went by in a surreal blur. Natalie and I had nearly all the same classes together because we had the same last name. There were a few classes that we didn't share however like my Art class, which I thoroughly enjoyed for the first day. We were painting a still life of wax fruit and other assorted objects. Simple and fun. My teacher, Ms. Bailon was impressed by my oil paint technique.

"You are a natural, Tobias! Wonderful! You know I run an art club after school and I would love for you to join."

I told the story to Natalie when we got to lunch after fourth period History, but she wasn't surprised in the slightest.

"See." She says grabbing a small blue plastic bowl with vanilla pudding from the lunch line. "First day the weirdos are already trying to recruit you."

"They're not weirdos. They're cool people." I say taking the tray full of turkey slices with speckled brown gravy pouring over it and a mound of mashed potatoes. Small steam wisps were rising up from the turkey and it smelled salty and processed. I prodded it with my plastic fork and wondered if it was real. Natalie and I made our way among the busy lunchroom full of students to the table where Andrew was sitting with Frankie. At his table were two other people, a girl with a long brown fishtail braid and freckles and another girl with asymmetrically cut blonde hair. She had dark makeup around his eyes and navy lipstick on that reminded me of the raspberry candies Mom used to buy for me when I was younger. The candy would stain my teeth, lips, and tongue and she'd immediately make me go brush my teeth after I finished.

Andrew looked up at us as we sat down, Natalie on the empty side of him and directly in front of me. I was seated next to the girl with fishtail braid and she smiled warmly at me.

"Kate, Jane, this are my cousins Natalie and Tobias." Andrew says introducing us to the girls. Frankie tilted his head up quickly in acknowledgement of us and grinned.

The girl with the dark lipstick smiled, her teeth were white and long. "Nice to meet you, I'm Jane."

I nod and Kate, the girl next to me held her hand out for me to shake. I quickly wipe the crumbs from the wheat dinner roll I was eating on my jeans and shook her hand.

"Kate." She grinned fluttering her lashes a little bit. Her freckles spread across her upper cheekbones and near her eyes. They were the color of spinach leaves and I noticed she was wearing some kind of smoky makeup on her eyelids.

"Tobias. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." She says sweetly still eying me as she takes a bite of her salad. Andrew raises an eyebrow up at me and chuckles. "You suck TJ."

I stop halfway through forking another bit of mashed potato in my mouth and look at him confused and dazed.

"What did I do?" I ask slightly bewildered. Andrew only smiles harder and shakes his head. He turns back to his own tray and picks at the glazed carrots in a small square near his carton of milk.

"So." Frankie says. His voice has gotten deeper than from when I last heard it a summer ago. I noticed his chin was fuzzy and a mustache had grown in thick on his upper lip. "You two enjoying your first day as freshmen?"

Kate stabs another piece of lettuce with her fork and looks wide-eyed at me. "You're a freshman? You seem like you're our year. Maybe you're more mature than the freshman I'm used to."

Jane smirks at her and pouts her indigo lips out. I'm not sure if she was complimenting me or not.

"Aren't you only a sophomore though?" I ask taking a bite of the rubbery turkey. It is salty and the gravy doesn't mask the strange aftertaste that well.

Kate's eyes narrow a little and she clears her throat. Andrew looks at me and shakes his head in disbelief.

"Yes, but still, the freshman class last year was still a bit too rambunctious for my taste. Far too noisy. But I suppose this year isn't much better."

"It's only the first day." I shrug.

To this, Kate looks at Jane who looks at her, then at me with a slightly disgusted look on her face. I feel her stand up next to me and she carries her tray in her hands. She picks up the bowl of salad and places it in the space where her turkey stand half eaten.

"C'mon Jane. I want some more fruit. Then I think I'll get started on that Chem homework a little early."

Jane still looks at me with her mascara lined eyes and rolls them, then rises up with her own tray of food. They leave the table and I'm left sitting on the side by myself.

"Smooth TJ." Natalie says taking a long swig of her chocolate milk.

I didn't know what she meant or why Andrew and Frankie were laughing hard at me.

"What?" I ask incredulously as I jab at two rounds of the glazed carrots. I pop them in my mouth and they're mushy and sweet between my teeth and tongue.

"She was totally flirting with you and you sketched your ice cave around yourself again." Natalie says wiping her gravy stained fingers on the thin paper napkin.

"I did not! I…we…we were just talking." I said feeling my face flush red.

"Yeah and you ran her off. Both of them." Andrew chortled while Frankie giggled and snorted into his hand.

"You better market off those good looks, TJ. Mom and Dad mixed up well between us both. You're lucky you look mostly like him, all the girls will be eying you. They already are. They've been looking at you since homeroom."

I shake my head and say "No they haven't. I—

"How would you notice if someone was looking at you when your head is always down nose deep in that sketchbook of yours? It's like you don't see yourself beyond that thing. It isn't healthy, brother dear."

I flare my nostrils and glare at her. She rolls her eyes and says "It's true. Remember your old friends aren't here anymore, and you need a social life to survive this place. I hate to break it to you, but I'm not going to be your best friend here. I have goals to accomplish."

"Like what? Joining the Archery Club? Yeah, that's something high to aim for." I say stabbing another carrot round with my fork. The plastic prongs bend backward and the carrot slips off.

Natalie leaned over to me and said "Only the tip of the iceberg. I plan on actually making a name for myself, you know? People already know us cause of our parents, but hell, I'm my own person."

I looked at her shove a spoonful of pudding into her mouth as she finishes her sentence. I never thought being famous here was so important to her.

"What do you mean, know us cause of our parents?" I ask.

She rolls her eyes and Andrew says "Your parents are the legendary Four and Tris. You don't think folks know their children attend school here? Besides the fact of them exposing the truth of the faction experiment, they completely helped reform the city."

"But Uncle Caleb helped out too. So did Aunt Christina, Uncle Zeke, my mom and dad didn't do alone." I say shaking my head.

Natalie scraps the bowl of pudding with her fork and moves the remnants in a small creme colored pile.

"Well of course, but that still doesn't mean people don't know us." She says licking the fork with a smack of her lips.

"They don't know us. They only think they do." I say hotly.

"Yeah well. Once someone is attached to the idea of you." Frankie says rising from the table along with Andrew "They automatically see you that way. Forever."

Andrew nods and gives me a grimace. "Sorry TJ, that's the way it is."

The rise and walk toward the tray return conveyor belt and I watch them leave the cafeteria. My sister and I sit in silence watching the rest of the cafeteria move and talk amongst themselves. There's a few faces that look familiar to me and I see Carole Meyers sitting with a group of girls laughing hard. Her blonde hair is long in thin braids, the tips are dyed pink and lavander. I chuckle to myself and remember how last year she couldn't even barely wear lipgloss without her mother's disapproving looks. I guess things have changed since I heard her parents separated she and her sister, Carrie, now live with their dad.

"I'm going to get more pudding, you want something?" Natalie asks me breaking my trance. I didn't hear her at first, but then I shake my head. She gets up humming to herself as she walks toward the dessert line.

I sigh to myself and shift my tray over far on my right. I bend down and pull my sketchbook out of my bag and a pencil. As I flip through the pages, I see old sketches I've done. Some of them are of trees, cars, hands and feet, faces. But I find the picture of the Ferris wheel I'm working on for my parents anniversary. I like the sketch out the image first, then I'll paint it on the canvas Dad bought for me at the marketplace last week. I touch the tip of the pencil to the page and begin tracing over the lines and curves.

Then a light and sweet voice breathes in my ear.

"Nice. You're really good at that."

I jump a little and turn around to see a tall girl with porcelain skin, hazel eyes, and wheat colored hair styled into curled ponytails behind me. She's wearing a powder pink t-shirt that hugs her chest and stomach. Her skirt hit right above her knees and is black. I look at her oval-shaped face that this smiling at me with bright teeth and full lips.

"Thanks…" I say covering up my sketch with my arm. I feel my face grow unusually warm and my palms moisten.

The girl walks to the other side of the table and sits down in front of me.

She turns out and crosses her right leg over the other one, the skirt raising and bunching up above her thigh.

"So you're new. Tobias right?" She asks resting her pointed chin in her cupped palms.

I nod slowly. How did she know my name? She had to be an upperclassman, seventeen years old at best.

"How do you like here?" She asks sweetly.

"It's…alright I guess." I say scratching my head with my pencil in my left hand. "It's just the first day, so I can't accurately answer that I suppose."

She purses her bright red lips together then grins. "You're left handed."

I look down at my hand with the pencil and laugh nervously.

"Guess I am."

"You have a twin sister. Is she also left-handed?"

"No, right-handed. Why the interest?"

She throws her head back and giggles eerily. "You're symmetrical, the both of you."

I force a slow chuckle and peer over at the dessert line at my sister who's talking with a boy who's name I can't remember from our neighborhood.

The girl sighs and bounces her crossed leg, making the table bounce a little. She peers around the room slightly, pausing for a moment at a particular corner behind me. I turn around and see nothing but a table of students talking and eating near patio doors.

"What is it?" I ask turning back to her. She says nothing for several long seconds but then looks at me and smiles again.

"You're the son of Beatrice and Tobias Johnson, yes?"

I raise my eyebrows at her and nod.

"Are they nice people?" She asks. "I've heard stories about them. They're pretty legendary."

I feel my face turn into a smile and say "They're just Mom and Dad to me."

She uncrosses her leg and sits up straight this time. Her hazel eyes seem a little brighter and she leans in toward me and whispers.

"Where do they work? In the city?"

"Yes. What's with all your questions?" I say irritably. Suddenly she raises up and three very tall boys walk over. One of the boys is slightly muscular and his dark hair is cropped short to his head almost like mine, but his haircut makes his head look deformed. It is bigger in the back, his forehead is long, and slightly covered in acne.

He reaches an arm around the girl and kisses her on the side of her head. His friends, one of them bald with mahogany skin and the other with red curly hair and large teeth both glare at me. The boy with his arm around the girl, who's now smirking suspiciously at me, gives me a nasty look.

"Well look here guys. We got a freshman who thinks he can talk and make friends with my girl." He says darkly and the three of them, including the girl, all snort loudly. I focus my hearing and my vision to see that the whole cafeteria is interested in what's happening where I'm sitting.

I see out of the corner of my eye, my sister who's still in the dessert line.

"She talked to me first." I say simply looking the large headed boy in the eye. He scowls at me and then looks sideways at the girl who's shaking her head. The boys all look at each other and then at me. The boy releases the girl and steps forward slightly to me and whispers menacingly low "Well, I don't care if she tells you good morning, you don't speak or look at her. You don't even breathe her way."

He leans up and looks down at my tray on the right side of me. As the four of them begin to walk away, he flips the tray up, spraying me and my clothes with the cold remains of the lunch. The speckled gravy and last bits of mashed potatoes stain my light blue collared shirt and carrots rounds stick to my cheek. There's an audible resounding gasp from the lunchroom, then the laughter starts. It sounds like a cackle of wild birds in my ear and I feel my ears go red with anger that boils inside my eyes.

"Accident." The dark haired boy chuckles along with his friends. They walk away and the girl gives me a wink that makes me fill with rage. But I sit still covered in the salty smelling turkey pieces, cold potatoes, and carrots. People are still laughing and I fight back the angry tears I force not to fall.

Then I hear my sister walk past me.

"Hey, asshole." She says to the back of the boy's head. He spins around and then Natalie flings the bowl of vanilla pudding directly in his face. The lunchroom holds its breath and erupts in even louder laughter.

The boy clenches his fist tightly together and he moves toward my sister with his face covered in pudding. The girl yells as the thick cream got in her hair and on her too tight shirt. Natalie balls her fists up and raises them, when a stern voice calls out.

"Enough the both of you! To the office, now."

I don't see the teacher who tells them to leave, but Natalie stomps over to the table and picks up her backpack off the floor. I look up still covered in my lunch when she gives me a look of pity mixed with disgust.

She shakes her head and turns and leaves out the cafeteria.

Luckily, Andrew had an extra gym shirt to change into, so he gave it to me to change into. I threw the stained shirt in my locker on the top shelf away from my books and papers. The gravy smell was still hard to get off my hands even after I washed them several times over.

I waited by my locker for my sister who came out of the office down the hall. She walked out alone and her face was sullen. She said nothing to me as she opened her locker adjacent to my own.

"Heard you got detention." I say softly.

She opens the door and throws her history textbook inside forcefully. Natalie pulls out two notebooks and then slams the metal green door hard.

"I did. For two days. You honestly should be in there instead of me."

"Me? I didn't force you to throw that bowl of pudding at that jerk." I say incredulously.

Natalie sighs angrily and shakes her head. "You don't get it. You can't just let people treat you like shit TJ! You already know they look at us differently because of Mom and Dad. We're targets, they're going to try us whenever and however they can."

She turns and leans against her locker with her eyes closed. I watch her carefully as she slumps down slightly.

"You know." She says swallowing hard. "There's nothing wrong with defending yourself, Tobias. You need to stand up for yourself. You need to."

I shake my head and say "I don't need to beat up people to defend myself."

Natalie opens her eyes and glares at me. Her stare is cold and cuts through me.

"It's not that hard, TJ. God."

"For you maybe." I retort angrily.

She shakes her head and turns to go down the opposite hallway. Natalie mutters irritably "I can't always be there to watch over you."

"I don't remember asking you to." I say coldly looking at the lockers on the other side of hall.

Natalie rounds on me and presses her lips together in a tight line. Her eyes narrow and she shakes her head again.

"You're right. But I do. Cause that's what family does. See you in gym."

I think I hear her sob as she walks away, but it's her sneakers squeaking against the linoleum floors as she turns left and goes down the stairs near the locker rooms. I punch the locker door next to me, frustration filling my chest, and the metal makes a loud bang against my fist. I expect my knuckles to throb with pain after hitting a metal door, but surprisingly there is only a small sting. I prepare to follow after my sister when my eyes widen at the spot where I punched.

There is a deep dent the size of my fist in the metal. I shake my head and rubs my eyes to make sure I'm not dreaming. But there it is, the depression in the door that contorts and wrinkles the locker door together. There's no way I could've done that. Was it there before?

I look down at my knuckles now and see they are bright red and slightly split with small droplets of blood trickling out of them between my fingers. I look around the empty hallway and see if anyone saw. I peer around the corner near the trophy case and then down by the main office. I'm alone.

I hurry down the stairs and stop near the top when I think I see a mass of red curls and a flash of hazel eyes. A ghost of a giggle floats behind me as I race down the stairs.

I must have imagined it.

**Next chapter will be TJ and there's some action scenes coming up real soon. keep reading and reviewing. hope you're enjoying the story. every dystopian series needs a good future child appearance. haha. **


	11. Chapter 11

**apologies for any typos. i'll make edits later probably. here's an action chapter. leave reviews with your thoughts. thanks for reading. **

Chapter 11

TJ

I walked into the locker room and the smell of sweat and something musty filled the air. The room was partially full of other students who were talking amongst themselves and changing into grey t-shirts and dark blue gym shorts. One heavy set boy with curly brown hair was sitting down a long wooden bench in front of a row of lockers. He looked pale and his lips were chapped on the corners. He looked down at his hands and his left leg was twitching.

I walked past him as he muttered "Why is gym all four years? I hate gym."

"Wait, we have to take this class all four years?" I say rounding on him as I place my hand on the locker I was assigned.

He jumped and looked at me with wide and dull grey eyes. The boy nodded slowly and eyed me carefully. I'm not sure why he seemed so intimated by me. He kept staring at me, but then finally rose off the bench and walked out of the locker room.

"Okay, then." I say calling after him.

As I turn back to open my locker, I slip off my jeans and pull the mesh gym shorts out of my bag. Before I can pull them up my waist completely something large and heavy connects with the side of my head. I felt myself fly backward down the row of lockers and crash hard into the floor.

My vision is popping with small lights and black spots. I feel something sticky run down my cheek and into my mouth. I struggle to catch my breath and stand up. I touch the top of my face and feel a small gash near my eyebrow. As I look up I see the dark-haired boy earlier from lunch with his two friends. He's glaring and smirking at me, his large fist balled up and stained with a smear of my blood.

"Thought you and that bitch of a sister of yours would get away with throwing shit in my face did you? Nobody messes with Randy Bowman and thinks they get a clean pass."

I chuckle nervously and see that the entire locker room has now crowded behind Randy. Some of the shorter boys are struggling to get a better look. I peer around at all of them, some laughing, others look terrified for me.

Randy cracks his knuckles and says "So, it's me and you. I know who you are too. Don't think your Daddy can bail you out of this."

I wipe the blood from the side of my face, but it still drips thick and dark down my face.

"You must be really strong. You need a whole crew behind you. How brave." I say my voice still shaky. I try to make it clear and stern, but I feel my legs tremble and almost buckle under me. I don't notice I'm backing up until I hit the white stone wall behind me. I'm trapped.

Randy comes close to me, his fists still clenched tightly.

"No. It's just you and me, Johnson. I'll tell you want, you have your sister make up for her mistake by coming to my car after school. Tell her she can earn my forgiveness by being 'sweet'."

Randy and his lackeys look at each other and laugh darkly. I feel myself chest fill with disgust and white-hot anger, but my legs are still shaking and stuck.

"You on the other hand." Randy says stepping closer to me. His fists can reach me now. "You'll pay in blood."

I raise my hands in front of my face as he swings. The impact hits my forearms hard and my skin stings madly from the blow. Randy swings again, this time finding my ribcage and abdomen. I shrink against the wall and clench my teeth as the hits take my breath away. He sends a knee into my lower stomach and I double over, then he smashes the back of my neck with his heavy elbow. I crash to the floor and my nose hits cold gray concrete. A foot hits me in my side and I fly against the lockers, yells now escaping my lips. I hate myself for the way my voice squeals in pain. It is high and I hear the other boys laughing and yelling.

Randy stomps on my shoulder and I try to block his foot with my left hand, but my fingers get caught under the pressure and my knuckles scrape under the sole of his sneaker.

Something in me bubbles over my fear of his relentless, sloppy, and heavy blows. Something that decides getting hit by him isn't the worst thing that can happen to me. Something that decides me hitting him, harder than anything in this world, is the most important thing.

Then I turn my head to see Randy's large body and anger contorted face seems to have slowed down. His fist is coming down to meet my face, but it moves almost glacially. I feel my lungs fill with air and my blood boil under my skin. His fist comes now inches above the bridge of my nose and what happens next surprise me.

I grab Randy's wrist and stop it completely. There's an audible gasp that resounds around the room.

Randy tries to struggle free, but my hand is completely clasped around his wrist. I squeeze and feel the stiff bones under my palm crack and pop. He releases a curdling yelp from the pit of his throat and I release him. As he grips his limp wrist gingerly he cuts his eyes through me. There are angry tears streaming out his bloodshot eyes and he grits his jagged teeth that are slightly yellow in pain.

"I'll kill you!"

Randy is faster than he looks, but he's still moving in slow motion to me. He rushes toward me and I don't think. I spin on my feet and dodge his elbow that slams into the lockers behind me. I duck as he swings with his left fist and he tries to knee me in my chin. But my body flips backward and I fly in the air, landing on the wooden bench. I feel my classmates cry out and they shift backward. I'm sure they are terrified. I am too. But there's also something else that pumps through me. Something that scares me more than what is happening with my body. Euphoria.

Randy lunges again toward me on the bench, but I twist in the air over his body and land behind him. He turns on his heel, eyes wide with rage, fear, and disbelief. Before he can try to strike again I rush in front of him and connect my left fist into his chest. Then my right. Then my left.

Left.

Right.

Left.

Right.

The sound of the blows are shaking the locker doors and walls around me. Randy gasps and doubles over. My body raises my right leg and I push Randy with the heel of my foot making him fly backward. His body slides down the wooden bench and falls out near the end.

I feel my body still tense with the extreme adrenaline and I watch Randy's friends crouch down near him. I peer closer and see Randy's unconscious body lying in a large mass. There's a stream of blood pouring out of his mouth and he doesn't look like he's breathing.

What did I do?

The doors of the locker room burst open and Mr. Ward, the gym teacher makes his way through the small crowd of students. He freezes and gasps hard when he sees Randy's body on the floor. Then he looks directly at me. I see his face drain of color and he shakes his head very slowly.

"Office. Now." He says quietly to me before crouching down to Randy. Mr. Ward places two fingers to his neck and pauses for several seconds.

"He's alive. Just knocked out." He says to no one in particular. But there's a slight wave of relief that pours over me that mixes with whatever crazed feeling that just hit me.

As he stands up, he looks at Randy's two friends and say "Watch him while I go get the nurse. You!" He says turning to me pointing an angry finger. "I thought I told you to go to the office. There's no need to say you're in trouble, but I suggest you start looking for another school."

I feel my knuckles burn with the recoil of hitting Randy's large hard body. I can say nothing, but if I could, what could I say? He started it?

It may be the truth, but I finished it. I don't even know how I did it.

My classmates stare at me with horror, revulsion, and wonder. As I move toward them to leave, they quickly disperse from me. They press against the walls as if I was covered in flames or a disease that could kill them if they even brushed against my skin.

I grab my bag, jeans, and slip my feet in my sneakers and leave the room. As I walk up the dark stairwell I hear voices above me before I reach the main hallway.

"If they're here, we'll find them. I assure you." A cold, wily voice came. It sounded stern and deep. But I could tell it belonged to a woman.

"We shouldn't wait too long. They could slip right through our fingers." came another voice. It sounded familiar.

"Don't worry. Everything is going along with Master's plan. Trust him."

The voices disappear and I wait until they are completely gone before I walk out. I don't feel myself enter the main office, but I'm at the door faster than I realize. Everything seemed to be moving quicker now. Or was it going slower? I am not sure anymore.

I turn the knob in the office and swallow hard, finding my throat arid and stiff.

First day of high school and I'm already expelled. I can feel it.

When I leave the office, to my relief I don't get expelled. Principal Byrd was lenient with me because apparently Randy had a record of fights and behavior issues that date back to his freshman year. He's a known bully even in the office, but because his parents are on the school council, he doesn't get kicked out. It frustrates me. I also find out his injuries aren't as severe as I thought, but he's got a bruised ribcage, a broken wrist and a fractured jaw. He won't die, but he's not in good condition either.

I receive detention for a week and I'm unable to join any extracurricular clubs for the remainder of the semester. There goes Art Club.

After I left the hallway I sneak out the side doors into one of the courtyards for some air. I am trying to comprehend the last fifteen minutes of the day. I dig through my thoughts for anything, anything that could give me a logical explanation of what happened. How did I move like that? Where did the strength come from?

Nothing comes. Nothing but the whistle from the light summer breeze that brushes my face. The sun is high and bright above me and I stare into it, shading my face with my right hand.

I look down at my knuckles and see they are purpled and bruised. They are extremely sore and slightly split.

I remember Principal Byrd also telling me my parents would be notified of what happened today. Then I remember Natalie got in trouble today too.

Great. Just great.

I see a tree with golden green leaves rustle and shake in the wind. It's branches are growing over the tall iron-wrought gate that encloses the courtyard. It shakes again and this time small leaves float slowly to the ground.

I hear another rustle behind and turn slightly until a cold, steel gun barrel presses into the back of my neck. I feel my heart pound my ears and my body freezes like stone.

"Don't move." A light and stern voices breathes into the air. It's inflection is sweet like poisoned honey and I soon recognize it as the curly haired girl from the lunchroom earlier.

Her breaths are even and steady. I can hear them as she exhales through her nostrils. She is serious and dangerous.

The gun presses a little deeper into my skin and I feel my knuckles curls and the white-hot rage that flowed through me in the locker room moments ago seeps through my pores.

"What are you?" I ask coldly.

"That's your first question?" She giggles. "Not, what do you want?"

I don't respond and I mash my teeth together behind my tight lips.

"You're smarter than you look, Tobias." I hear her mutter, the barrel steady in her extended arm.

"Clearly, you're something. You're not from around here." I spit quickly.

"You would be correct."

"Then what are you?" I ask peering at the locked gate in front of me. It is too tall to leap over and I'm sure if I made a run for it, I would dead before I reached it. But if I can summon whatever strength that flowed through me, I might could be fast enough. Maybe.

"I'm just like you. We're the same." She says calmly.

"You kids think you know me. Why is that? Because of my parents? Well I'm not them and you don't shit about us. So if you're going to kill me, then do it. Cause if there is something you do want, you won't be getting it. Believe that."

I feel the gun shift down slightly and the girl laughs.

"Please. We already have you. Where we want you. We'll get exactly what we need."

Suddenly I hear a static beep in the air. She keeps the gun pressed into my neck but I feel her shift her weight and press a button I cannot see.

"Yes. Well what was the point of this then? I thought we—-fine. I will report back. I said fine. R5, out."

She takes the gun from the back of my neck, but I still don't face her. I hear her shuffle and pocket the pistol and then she sighs deeply.

"I reckon I'll be seeing you again real soon, Tobias. The Department of Genetic Defense is very interested in you and your…makeup. Your sister too. If I were you I wouldn't get too comfortable with being here or at home."

Then I turn to her prepared to strike her as hard as I can. But she's gone. I'm left outside in the courtyard alone. I spin around wildly toward the gate, back to the street. There's nothing but pavement and the glistening buildings in the distance. As I shake my head of the scene I turn to head back in the school when Natalie comes bursting out through the doors.

Her hair flies in the wind and her eyes are bright and wide. She's grinning hard at me, all of her straight, white teeth are bared in my sight.

"You look like shit!" She exclaims. "Your eye is bruised and all purple."

I touch it gingerly and wince. I didn't notice the pain until just now. I touch the side of my head and feel the congealed, dried blood that cakes against my cheek. It is crusty and crumbles as I rub it off with my fingertips.

"Heard you kicked Randy's ass. Everyone's talking about it."

The way Natalie says it is as if it's something I should rejoice in. That my fists can damage someone and break their body if they oppose me. I shake my head.

"I don't…I feel so horrible." I say softly.

She rolls her eyes and laugh. "Everyone says he started it. I believe it. You just finished it. Never knew you had it in you bro."

I glare at her happy and proud face. Her smile falters and she looks confused.

"What is it? Look, you stood up to that asshole. I bet you he won't try you again. I told you everyone's looking at us. Now they know we're not to be messed with."

I can't believe her.

"Is that how we make friends? With our fists, Natalie? That's not what I want. I don't want people to be afraid of me and now they are. They saw…they saw me…almost destroy him. I don't even know how I did it. It's so strange. Natalie, something's wrong with me. I can move faster, I can hit harder, I see things—-

But I stop when I see her face distorted in disbelief and her lips are parted, curling into a smile.

"What in the world are you talking about, TJ?" She chortles holding her hand to her forehead.

I grimace and shake my head. "Nothing."

She eyes me curiously and says "Anyway, it's time to go. The bell's gonna ring and Andrew said meet him by the truck."

I nod and follow my sister. Thankfully the hallways were empty enough to let us pass through and a few people stared sideways at us, well me. I quickly gathered my homework from my locker before leaving through the double doors behind Natalie who didn't even bother grabbing her notebooks.

"It's just reading tonight. We're reading 'Beyond The Fence' in History. Good thing Aunt Christina wrote the book, huh?" She says winking at me.

I nod again, still saying nothing.

We reach Andrew's gray truck and someone has made an obscene drawing in the thick layer of dust and dirt on the front hood. Natalie sighs and mutters "Jackasses."

The I hear the dismissal bell ring in the distance and the muffled voices that soon burst out of the doors. I remember my blue hoodie I packed in my backpack in case the school was cold and I pull it out to put on. I cover my face with the hood and keep my gaze down. It's silly of me to do since it was warmer outside now and I already felt the warm discomfort of the knit jersey fabric over my body.

Natalie looks at me and shakes her head. She leans against the truck with her arms folded and legs crossed at the ankles as she hums to herself. I peer up at the front lawn and see kids leaving, boarding long red school buses or getting into their parents' cars. Andrew eventually comes out with Frankie, they're talking and laughing about something. Frankie splits to the right behind Andrew and walks toward a goldenrod truck that a woman with his same skin and short curly hair is sitting in. Andrew waves to her and she returns it with a bright smile and flap of her hand.

Andrew walks toward us and his face turns into a wide smirk. He looks us up and down jokes "Rough day, huh?"

Natalie gives him the finger and smiles. Andrew just laughs as he walks to the driver's side of his car. He scans the crude image made in the dirt on his hood and then up at me.

"What's with the hood, cousin?" He asks through a snicker.

I grimace at him and walk around the back of his truck. I get inside the back and stretch my legs across the seat.

We pull off from the parking lot and down the long black road away from school. I turn to look out the back window to see the long red buses travel in a diverging paths and one of them follows us, then turns down the third block behind us.

"You two are already getting talked about." Andrew says gripping the steering wheel. He makes a sharp left and we all bounce as the truck rolls over the ragged road.

"It's not good what they're saying I'm sure." I mutter under my breath.

"How much trouble you both get in? Principal Byrd is a stickler for discipline I hear. Thank God I've never had to face him."

Natalie sighs as she looks out the window. "I got detention for two days. TJ got it for a week. He can't join any clubs for the semester."

Andrew sucks air between his teeth and I see him frown in the rearview mirror.

"That sucks, TJ. That means you can't probably go to any dances either. Homecoming is in like two months."

I shrug hard, my face still covered with the hood. I don't care about a stupid dance.

We're almost to my house when I peer out the window and see a steel gray van parked between two unmarked black trucks on nameless street with identical square houses. It's like the one from on the way to school this morning. Before we zoom pass it, I see the yellow letters 'D.G.D.' on the side paneling.

I shift back against the door and look at my sneakers that are now scuffed near the toes. Suddenly a voice comes into my head that makes me sit up quickly.

"The Department of Genetic Defense is very interested in you…"

D.G.D.

**see you next chapter! be brave.**


	12. Chapter 12

**sorry for the typos. enjoy another chapter. leave a review. share with friends. thanks for reading.**

Chapter 12

TJ

When we get in front of my house, the street is quiet and still. Our two story rectangular house with a connecting garage is one of the nicer homes on the street. But there was still a uniformity about all of the houses here. The neighborhood apparently used to be a residential area before the Great War and thanks to my Mom, the area was renovated. It was restored to the best of the contractors abilities, there are still signs of ruin here. The grass never fully grows in certain places, the streets are cracked like something tore through them, and some houses are still frames of a time long gone.

Only a few people live around us, a majority of them live in the city. But after Mom got pregnant, her and Dad needed more space. So she started motioning for renovation in the outer parts of the city. She wasn't the only one getting pregnant and raising children, the apartments in the city weren't really made with large families in mind. Although there are some big ones now. Dad has mentioned us moving back so they can be closer to work. I like it here though. It's quiet.

Although when I do go into the city, I imagine what my life would be like running for and jumping from trains. What it would be like to zip line from the Hancock Building, although once when I was little my parents took us up there. I was probably about five or six and I leaned a little too close over the balcony when Dad wasn't looking. I nearly fell from the fiftieth floor and to this day, I don't really care too much for heights. I remember Dad yanking me back and him holding me tight. I thought he'd be angry with me, but he just sat still for minutes, shutting his eyes and breathing deep.

The three of us get out the car and I see no sign of my parents' truck. Natalie grinned and said "We must have beat them home. Wanna try sneaking off upstairs and playing sick?"

I shake my head and say "They already know. The principal told me they called."

Natalie swore loudly and kicked the curb angrily. Andrew laughed and said "Playing sick wouldn't have worked anyway. Especially for you TJ, the way your face looks. No need trying to hide it either, what are you gonna do at dinner?"

I scowl and don't look at either of them. I had hoped I would be able to skip dinner, I wasn't hungry and I didn't feel like being reprimanded for today. Especially because it was not my fault.

We enter through the front door that's made of dark brown wood with a square opaque window at the top and the smell of garlic, peppers, and basil hits and fills my nose. Mom was making Natalie and I's favorite dish, lasagna, tonight to celebrate getting through our first day of high school. But for the first time ever, I didn't want any. I tried skipping quickly up the tan carpet covered stairs, but her strong voice rings clear through the house.

"I don't think so. Both of you in here. Now."

I look back and Natalie who whimpers slightly as she turns into the entrance of the kitchen. Andrew smiles nervously at us and follows behind her slowly. I stand on the bottom stair and consider acting like I didn't here her, but I knew that wouldn't be wise.

"TJ…" she calls out again in a raspy, songlike tone.

I chew my bottom lip and walk into the kitchen with my hood still up. I only see her bare feet and the bottom of her black slacks when I enter. I shift my gaze over and see Andrew and Natalie both sitting at the table. My sister's feet are shuffling nervously under the table.

"Chin up." Mom commands.

I raise my head a little and turn my face to the small calendar on the wall near where the brooms and mop are kept.

"Look at me TJ." She says.

I don't move.

"Take off the hood. Look at me. I won't ask again." Her voice firm and austere.

I raise my hands and lower the hood. Still looking down. I take the jacket off and hold it in my arms and then raise my head to her.

Her eyes are stern, but also crestfallen and dismayed.

"Oh my boy." She sighs looking at my face. She walks over to me and we're eye level. Mom puts a tender and warm hand to my cheek. I wince still out of reflex at her touch. My eye doesn't hurt as much anymore and when I glance at myself in the chrome refrigerator, I see the swelling has gone down extremely. But still not enough.

Mom sighs deeply and closes her eyes.

"I said this morning. To stay out of trouble. What do you two do? Both of my children. I can't—-"

She's unable to finish and she shakes her head in disappointment.

"Mom, it's not our fault! That Randy kid is bad news! He started it in the lunchroom and we were just defending ourselves. Defending each other really. He's older so what does he want with us you know?!" Natalie bursts out madly.

Mom grimaces and scratches her blonde head.

"I know you two aren't trouble makers. But when I got that phone call at work today. I just didn't know what to believe. Natalie, I've told you about your temper."

Natalie opens her mouth to retort, but Mom puts a hand up to stop her. "I know you think protecting your brother is important and I am grateful, but sweetheart, throwing things is not how you solve anything. You are not five. You're turning into a young adult. It's time to start acting like one."

My sister looks crestfallen and she lowers her head. I see her struggle to keep her eyes from glossing over as she clenches her fists on the table.

"And you." Mom says turning back to me. "My TJ. My sweet and gentle son. Fighting? I told the Principal it could not be true. But look at you. Look at you."

"You told the Principal I was 'sweet and gentle'?" I ask irritably.

Andrew suppress a snort by stuffing a lemon cookie he picked up from the plate in front of him. A chuckle however, escapes from my sister's lips and my rounds on her with a piercing look in her eye.

"Yes I did." Mom says rigidly. "You may not have started it, but you damn sure finished it I heard. That boy had to go to the hospital you know? His father is on the school council. He knows your father. He's worked with him before. Do you know how embarrassing that for your Dad?"

I want to shrug. But I think better of it and look away.

"Tobias Johnson Jr. You look at me when I am speaking to you." Mom says fiercely.

I turn back to her and feel my face go hot with anger. I want nothing more than to go to my room and not see any of them for the rest of the night.

"I asked you a question." She says crossing her arms.

"Yes I know. It's not like it's my fault!" I yelp.

"I know it isn't honey. But I want you to be smarter than those idiots. I'm not saying you should just stand still and get punched, but I'm saying you have too much potential. People are looking at you."

I feel myself take a step backward and I roll my eyes angrily.

"Then they should stop staring at me." I glare and spit. "I'm sorry I'm not living up to the great legacy of Four and Tris! Sorry for wanting to be my own person!"

Mom purses her lips and her face grows hard .

Natalie and Andrew stare at me nervously, then at Mom.

"You are your own person, Tobias. But if you want to be known as the kid who doesn't know how to control his anger, then I'd hate to know that person."

She turns away from me and goes back to the stove. The pot of water with the pasta is steaming and boiling. I feel her words cut through me like daggers and I swallow hard. Nothing was worse than her being disappointed in me.

"Your father will speak to both of you when he gets home. Which…he's pulling up now. You're grounded. The rest of the week and the weekend."

Natalie gasps indignantly and looks over at me. Andrew looks at both of us and raise his voice to speak. "Can I just say Aunt Beatrice—

"No you may not Andrew. Make sure your truck is ready, Tobias is going to work on it when he gets settled. Your father is coming after he gets off work, so I'll make a place for you at dinner."

Andrew looks at us, defeated, and shrugs. He grabs another cookie and pops it into his mouth.

I sit in the chair on his left and bounce my knee nervously. I hear the back door jiggle open and Dad walks in, his face tired and eyes low. He holds his suit jacket in his hand and scans everyone's faces in the room quickly. He stops when he gets to mine and I cannot look him in the eye. I hear him sigh and he walks over to Mom who's stirring the thick red sauce in a pan with a wooden spoon. He kisses her gently on the cheek and she smiles up at him.

"Well, you bunch look sour. Can't say I'm too happy with you right now to be honest." His eyes find me again and he walks out of the kitchen and leaps up the stairs. Within five minutes or so he's back down in a black t-shirt, faded jeans, and dark boots.

"Andrew, I'll take a look at your truck now. Where's the keys?"

Andrew reaches into the pocket of his pants and dangles the set of chrome keys in his fingertips. Dad grabs them and walks toward the back door again.

"TJ, come with me." He says with his back turned.

Mom looks at him then at me. I stare at her and she motions with a nod of her head to obey.

Natalie chews the inside of her cheek and stares anxiously at me. She mouths "Good luck." I nod and follow my father out into the garage. It is bright and full of sunlight because the garage door is open. It smells of motor oil, old cardboard, and rubber inside of the space. I look at the small crates of objects adorned in various corners of the garage. Some of my old paintings I did years ago are stacked on a shelf against the wall.

Dad's back is still turned to me as he gathers tools from his work bench. He reaches up on the shelf and takes a big red wrench that is stained in black grease marks down. I see his tattoos peek up from the under the collar of shirt.

"So. You got into a fight." He begins.

I gulp and feel my throat uncomfortably dry.

"It wasn't my fault." I stammer.

"Yeah, I heard from the Principal. But still, you finished it, no, more than finished it."

I still say nothing and I feel my face throb again with soreness.

"Where'd you learn to do all that?" Dad asks me finally turning to face me. His eyes are dark, curious, and stern.

"I don't know. It was strange. I didn't…I didn't even know I could do something like that."

Dad raises an eyebrow toward me and asks "You didn't? You didn't know if you punched someone over and over and then kick them, it could break a bone or bruise a rib?"

"That's not what I meant! It was weird. My body seemed to act on it's own." I admit.

Dad shakes his head in disbelief and grabs a smaller wrench from the wall in front of him.

"Your body can't do anything without your permission, TJ." He says harshly.

"But Dad. It did. I promise."

He closes his eyes and and pinches the bridge of nose. I see his jaw muscles move and stiffen.

"TJ. I want you to be able to defend yourself. But I want you to know that violence doesn't solve anything. You don't get to prove how big and bad you are by proving how hard you punch somebody. Is that who you wanna be?"

I shake my head slowly and look at my feet.

"I want you to look at me when I talk to you." He says rather calmly.

I look up and sniff. I didn't want to cry in front of him.

"You're growing up. You're not gonna be a kid forever, you know. Be grateful the only thing you have to worry about is going to school and avoiding a few knuckleheads, who, by the way don't matter in the long run. You're a good kid. Let people see that."

He grabs his black metal tool box and holds it tight in his strong hand. I still see the traces of the scars from all the years he fought while in Dauntless and after etched on his hands. They still look strong enough to punch through anything.

"Don't let the school call me again, son." He says firmly. "No more fights. Okay?"

I glance quickly outside and then back to him. His head is turned waiting for a response.

I nod.

"No say it." He says.

"No more fights." I murmur.

Dad gives me a halfway smile and says "Alright. Come help me with your cousin's truck, won't take but a second."

Suddenly I hear my mom's voice scream out "Get down!"

There is a loud bang that flies through the air and a crash. Natalie screams and I hear Andrew shout something incomprehensible. Dad quickly drops the tool box and slams his hand on the button that lowers the the garage door. My eyes widen as I see people in dark grey and yellow uniforms and round helmets appear at the door. It is almost completely lowered, but that still doesn't stop me from seeing the long silver automatic guns they had raised. I hear a click, then I feel a strong arm wrap around my body pulling me into the space between the small stairs and back door.

Hundreds of rounds of bullets fly into the garage door, perforating it with quarter sized holes. The sound is loud and hurts my ears. I scream as Dad holds me close to his chest. I can feel his heart pound hard through the gun shots and whispers quickly to me. "Stay down!"

He releases me and crawls forward under the stairs, reaching under the last step to the bottom. As he recoils back, in his hand is a heavy black pistol with silver panels. He looks quickly at me and then I hear the garage door fall down. There are three people in the uniforms now inside the house. Then I hear the bangs and shouts from inside the house. I begin to scream, but Dad's heavy, sweaty hand covers my mouth. He peers around the corner at the men. They haven't seen us and it's too bad for them.

Dad releases three consecutive rounds from the pistol at the three bodies. They hit before they realize what happen and they fall over. The three bangs rings in my ears and I clutch them afraid to move my hands. I hear more bangs and yells come from inside the house. I feel my shirt damp with cold sweat on my back and my knees cry out from the odd pressure I'm putting on them. Dad checks the corner again and looks at the door to the house. I look up and see flashes of light dart across the window. He stands me up and pulls me toward the stairs.

"Stay behind me and as close to the ground as possible." He huffs as he slowly opens the door. I crouch behind him as we enter the house and he quickly throws me against the wall near the washing machine and dryer, out of sight. Dad keeps the gun raised in front of him, steady and firm as he walks into the kitchen. I scoot and peer my face around the corner. The air is full of gun smoke and the acrid smell makes me gag slightly.

"Tris!" Dad shouts. I see my sister and cousin cowered behind the now flipped over kitchen table. Andrew has his hands covering his head and Natalie is trembling as she peers over the table. She looks over at me, her face sweaty and her lips quivering.

Dad stays low and suddenly more uniformed men burst in the house. He fires and there's a blood curdling scream that resounds around the room. I see my father dive and open fridge door, crouching behind it for cover. He peers over at my mother who's crouched with a heavy looking pistol near the food pantry. They look at each other and nod quickly.

The silence that fills the air is filled only by my short, sharp breaths and the pounding of my heart in my throat. As I peer into the kitchen, the back door bursts open and I spin around to face a long silver gun barrel aimed at my chest.

My sister screams and I know that I must be dead.

But the gun falls backward and so does the hand holding it. I peer and see my mother with the smoking pistol extended outward. Her eyes are fierce and cold.

"Get to the table, TJ!" She yells as two more men burst in. She fires at them, missing one of them firing through their shoulders. A large gloved hand yanks my hair back and this time I scream as I feel my scalp stretch making my eyes water.

There's a bang and the hand releases me. I crawl quickly toward the table, squeezing between my sister and cousin. There's five more shots that resound through the air. Five more bodies that hit the floor with thuds.

I'm not sure how long we sit behind the table, but I can hear my parents' heavy breaths close to us. They move slowly to the table and peer over at us. Their guns are still raised in front of them. I look up at the wall behind me and see thick tomato sauce splashed against the wall, bannisters, and picture of my parents, sister, and myself outside in a park when I was younger.

I look up and see my mother's light blue shirt stained with sweat in the back. There's a creak that comes from the front door and she quickly turns prepared to fire at anyone who dares crosses inside.

"What's the hell is going on?" Andrew sobs through thick tears. I cannot answer him because I am wondering the same thing myself. I peer around the wooden table leg at one of the fallen men in the gray and yellow uniforms. On the shoulder is a square patch with three letters embroidered on it. DGD.

Who the hell are these people? Why are they attacking my house? What did they want?

"Is everyone okay?" My father's voice barks through the air.

"Dad…Dad I'm scared." Natalie trembles, her eyes wide and streaming.

He turns slightly to her and says "I know. We have to get out of here, c'mon on—

But something cuts him off. The house trembles and I feel the floor I am pressed against jump violently.

The ceiling shakes and small dust particles floated down in front my face. I brushed them away quickly and teetered on my fingertips. I searched any sign or source of the disturbance.

Then the house shuttered again. There was a crackling sound that stretched overhead. I saw the ceiling tear and rip horizontally above our heads as we looked up. It reached all the way to the backdoor into the living room from where I could see. My mother and father looked nervously at each other. I held my breath.

Suddenly the front of the house blasted and pulled apart. I screamed and heard my sister screech as the ceiling fell down around us. Dust flew madly around the air obscuring my vision. I felt it shoot into my lungs, making me hack and cough. I gagged and spat my dirt-filled saliva out on the now grimy kitchen floor.

Natalie screamed as my parents both emptied their guns at the scene in front of them. Whoever they were shooting at must be dead. As many bullets as they emptied, they could not have survived.

The firing stops and I hear my mother and father take a step back. I decide to peer up over the table and I see their backs and faces turned slightly to each other. The house is ripped apart and open to the front of our neighborhood. The kitchen window, sink, oven, and counters are all destroyed on the ground in front of them. The wall is still falling in thick chunks. I try to see what has my parents frozen in place. But a brilliant vivid white light begins to glow and cast shadows around me. I feel everything go deaf in my ears.

The light is growing brighter and hotter. I feel it blaze against my skin.

I look up and everything is moving glacially. Everything is bathed in the wicked incandescence engulfing my home. My Dad turns back and look directly at me, his eyes wide and full of something I have hardly ever seen in them before. Fear.

The light comes closer. My mom looks at him and reaches her right hand out. My father takes it with his left as the light shrouds their bodies.

"No…" I feel myself say weakly the sound returning to my ears.

Then the light explodes and I feel my body rocket upward from the impact. My sister goes flying and Andrew is thrown away from me.

I scream. I scream. My home is blasted apart.

I call for my parents. I call for them. Their bodies fade away. Shatter in the light.

I scream.

Until I hear nothing.

Feel nothing.

***tears* back to the present next chapter! Natalie POV. hope you're enjoying the story!**


	13. Chapter 13

**thanks to everyone who's reviewed! i appreciate the feedback. apologies for any typos. this chapter is kind of a slow one, but read and enjoy.**

Chapter 13

Natalie

I feel my brother jolt awake and release my hand. I open my eyes and I am disoriented. I cannot remember where I am. I remembered feeling the kitchen table around my body. I remember crying. I remember my home being destroyed under my body.

Then I shake my head and focus on the scene in front of me. I am in the Hancock Building. I am back in the past where I see the faces of my future parents, Christina, Cara, my Uncle Caleb, Uriah, and Zeke all drained of color. Their eyes are wide and some of them are glossed over. My nineteen year old mother's eyes are full of tears. My twenty-one year old father is sweating profusely looking at me with eyes full of horror. His hands are trembling.

"My God…" Zeke whispers as he puts his face inside his palms. "Was that real?"

I look over to my brother who is sitting up on the floor with his head lowered and body shaking and jumping. His eyes are sunken and dark, he is not fully awake yet.

I rush over to him and hold his face carefully.

"TJ. Wake up." I say shaking him by his shoulders.

He does not respond. His eyes are streaming now. His lips are chapped and quivering.

"What's wrong with him?" Cara asks nervously.

"He's not out of his memory yet." I say still trying to shake him awake. "He's still inside his own head. He has to wake up."

"Tobias!" I shout pleadingly. My father looks over at me thinking I called him.

"It's my fault." TJ moans. "It's my fault."

"No it's not! Remember TJ. Remember."

"I didn't say anything. I could've…I could've…" He says darkly his mouth forming into a shadowy grimace. His tears are streaming along his cheeks hard and I wipe them with my fingers.

"TJ. You are not responsible for what happened. You have to wake up. Mom and Dad need us. We're here to help them, remember? Uncle Caleb sent us back. He sent us back so we can stop this from ever happening. Please come back to me."

I feel a soft, but calloused hand touch my shoulder. I look back and see my mother crouch next to me. She's smiling weakly and fighting her own tears. She puts a hand on TJ's face and he looks at her, eyes still dark and distant.

"TJ." She begins softly. "Can you hear me?"

He touches her hand and grips it. He sobs. "Mom."

She nods slowly. He sniffs and says "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

My mother shakes her head and says "You have no reason to be. TJ, if you're going to help us, help me, then you have to wake up. You're in a memory. You can wake up now. You know that."

He nods slowly and wipes his face.

"Now." Mom says gripping his shoulder. "Wake up."

TJ's eyes grow brighter and he blinks slowly. He breathes hard, his chest undulating quickly, but progresses to a slow exhale. My brother's face relaxes and his tears stop slightly when he looks up at my face and our mother's.

I sigh in relief and sit back on my legs. TJ wipes his face again with his forearm and clears his throat.

"I need some air." He mumbles as he gets up and walks quickly out the room onto the balcony where the zip line is.

I push my hair back out of face and hold my forehead. My brain feels fuzzy and warm like I've drank a strong cup of liquor too quickly.

"What…how did you all do that?" Christina asks slowly. "What was that?"

I look at her and everyone. "Resurgents can access more of their minds than average humans. We have the ability to remember everything in detail and are able to project our memories to others through touch. But Uncle Caleb's device allows us to stream our memories through it, instead of holding on to everyone else. But it's dangerous. Memories are fragile, they can easily be lost, broken, or even rewritten. When we show you a memory, we're not only projecting the image, we're reliving it. We feel everything again."

"So…seeing Tris and Four…and your house be destroyed…that's wow. I don't know if I could…I'm not sure I would be strong enough to relive that." Uriah whispers terrified.

I look to my mother who's staring at me with a deep sadness in her eyes and face. My father shakes his head and I feel a twinge of anger soar through my veins.

"You still don't believe?" I ask coldly.

He says nothing for a few seconds and breathes. "No. I do."

My face widens in shock and so does my mother's.

"What made you believe?" Mom asks him curiously.

"The haircut…nobody else cuts hair the way I do. My father taught me how to cut it just like that. Besides, I thought if I ever had a son, well I'd eventually teach him how."

I smile at him and say "Out of everything, the haircut did it for you?"

My father for the first time today, gives me a grin and says "Also, gun under the stairs. I'm the only person I know who would think to do something like that. The way the future me put butter on his muffin in the mornings, I move the knife exactly like that. I counted the number of strokes. It's six, exactly."

Uncle Caleb looks at his trembling hands, his face glistening with sweat and he breathes slowly "I have…a son?"

I nod slowly and say "Yes. Andrew."

He looks at me and then at my mother who's giving him a careful smile.

"He dies?" he whispers darkly.

I shake my head. "No. Andrew didn't die in the attack. He was badly injured, but he survived. You'll see."

"So…that's what we're having. A boy." He mutters a loud to himself.

My mother raises and eyebrow to him and clears her throat.

"Caleb…do you have something to tell me?" She asks sternly.

My young uncle's lips quiver and his cheek muscles jump nervously.

"Susan…she didn't…we didn't know how to tell you. She was worried because we weren't married. We haven't really seen each other. That's why I've been spending all night at work. She doesn't really know what to do. Nor do I. But I've seen him. I've seen my son. Our child. So…that must mean…it'll work out?"

He peers over at me and I want everything to spill from my tongue, but as I look at his face, I see the uncle I know sixteen years from now. I can't say too much. But they will work things out. I can't say how, nor do I really know how they did.

I give him a silent nod. Luckily, that's good enough for him. He wipes his brow and sighs in relief.

"Okay, that's wonderful." Cara interjects cutting through the silent glances everyone was giving me. "You've proven that this future you come from is real. I don't deny that you are definitely Tris and Tobias' daughter, or at least you've convinced us you are."

I feel my face tense with annoyance. How much more did I have to prove?

"I don't need to 'convince' you all of anything. That actually happened. We have more to show you. You'll see for yourself."

Christina shakes her head and says "I don't need to be convinced anymore, Natalie. I see Tris and Four in you. You're so much like them. You remind me a lot of your mother when I first met her and your father. I'll help you no matter what."

I feel gratitude bubble in my chest and I close my eyes and sigh "Thank you."

She chuckles and says "So I write books in the future, huh? Neat. Do they sell well? I guess so if you have to read about them in school."

I laugh and Uriah huffs "Where I am though?"

I begin to respond, when my father says sternly "That's not important. What's important is understanding what we've just seen. I have questions."

"So do I." My mother says next to me.

"I can only answer what I can."

They nod in unison and I get lost briefly in my mother's eyes as they connect with my father's. Even now, I see so much love in them.

"First, do Tris and I die in the explosion? What was that light?"

I shake my head slowly and say "No. We thought you did though. The Department of Genetic Defense kidnapped you both. You saw TJ was the first to notice them and interact with them. The girl from the lunch room, she's a Resurgent agent. R5, is what they call her."

Zeke nods and says "She seemed pretty deadly. But so does TJ. I've never seen anyone move like that. You all really are freaky."

My mother glares at him and he shrugs "Sorry Tris. I mean, that's not normal. The kid almost punched through a metal locker. That's definitely not something most people can do."

"So Resurgent abilities. They're really genetic. What happened you two were dropped in a pool of chemicals when you were a baby?" Christina asks. Uriah snorts, but her question is serious.

"No, the gene is hereditary. It's passed on from the parents." comes my brother's strong and deep voice. He walks back in and looks much better. His eyes are fully awake now and his face is alert.

"So you're saying, Four and Tris can do those things?" Caleb asks curiously. He sits up straight now on the floor.

My mother and father look at me and my brother expectantly. I shake my head and say "No they cannot. The way the gene works is, it's passed on through generation after generation. Sometimes it's active, sometimes it skips. Resurgence in genes occurs when both parents are Divergent. My father is not Divergent, but my mother is. So was my Grandmother Natalie. Our grandfather, Marcus is Divergent however."

"So…what does that mean?" Zeke asks scratching his head bewildered.

"Even though our father isn't Divergent, he's still highly resistant to serums and simulations. It's complicated, but from what we know in the future and what is in the file that we need to destroy, the Resurgent gene comes from the father and the Divergent gene comes from the mother. To break it down this way—well hold on."

My brother walks over to our black backpacks and fumbles inside the large zipper for something. I watch him closely and then he turns around with his large sketchbook and an ink pen.

"You couldn't leave that behind, could you?" I sigh irritably.

He doesn't respond as he sets the book on the floor and opens it to a blank page. TJ uncaps the pen with his mouth and begins to make several, short strokes on the page. It takes him about a minute before he stops moving. He holds up the page and on it there are square with names inside and lines connecting them.

"A family tree?" Cara asks moving in closer so she could see it.

"So, this is Mom and Dad." He says pointing with his finger to our parents. They are separate squares but a short line connects them together in the middle. Above each square are other ones, three on mom's side and two on Dad's.

"Grandma Natalie, was Divergent and Grandpa Andrew had a suppressed Resurgent gene and it skipped both my mother and Uncle Caleb. However the Divergent gene did pass along to my Mom."

TJ shifted over to the left, his finger hovers over Dad's name.

"Marcus, was Divergent, and we found out Grandma Evelyn had the Resurgent gene from her father but it never manifested. So when Dad was born, he got both the Resurgent and Divergent gene. But Marcus' Divergence was stronger than Evelyn's Resurgence. Or rather the genes conflicted. He wasn't Divergent or Resurgent, but he had both traits. The resistance to serums and simulations most importantly. I'm not sure what Resurgent traits he has or if any. We don't know much about it."

TJ then pointed down to our names and said "The Resurgent Gene activated in us. So did the Divergent gene."

"But if you're saying you have both, then that means people with a Resurgent gene cannot resist serums or simulations." Cara says studying the neatly drawn chart my brother is holding.

I nod and say "Exactly. The DGD knows that. That's how they get Resurgents to usually fight for them. Through a special control serum they created by studying our genes and brains."

Uriah shakes his head and groans. "All this gene shit. I don't understand any of it. It's…just…I don't get it."

"What do you mean when you say 'usually' fight for them?" My mom asks rubbing her fingers against her palms. "Do people with an active Resurgent gene voluntarily fight for the DGD?"

My brother nods and says "Yes. It's because the gene is so rare and usually the abilities that manifest from it are wild and uncontrollable at first, like you saw in my memory, it's scary. The DGD offers refuge and training. They're a privately government funded operation. It's an agency that trains Resurgents how use their abilities to fight for the defense of the city. But that's just a facade, the person who heads the operation only captures them to experiment on their bodies and brains."

"They also sell you the idea that what they're offering is safety because if Resurgents tried to live amongst regular people, then we'd be outcasted, hunted, and eventually killed. When in fact, they're training people like us to do the hunting and killing." I say looking at everyone.

Everyone still looks rather lost when we finish speaking.

"So, why exactly do we need to destroy the file? If this Resurgent gene exists and will activate eventually, what good would it do?" Uriah asks.

"We need to destroy it because whoever started the experiment back up and the DGD plans on wiping out every single person who doesn't have an active Resurgent gene. It will be genocide." TJ says darkly.

The room goes immediately silent and I see everyone shift uncomfortably in some way.

"That's why it's important that you see our memories. We can't explain everything or tell you everything, but if you see it for yourself, maybe you can understand better."

"Okay." My father says. "Show us more."

I shake my head. "No more tonight. It's after midnight and besides…it's draining for us. It puts a lot of strain on our minds."

Cara looks down at her watch and her eyes widen a little. "I can't believe we've been here for two hours. I have work in the morning."

She raises up and brushes off her blue chiffon blouse. "I've decided that this Resurgent dilemma is one that is both complex, surprising, and interesting. I believe it's in our best interest to destroy that file. When should we meet again?"

I grin at her and say "Tomorrow. What time does everyone get off work?"

Cara shakes her head and says "I leave whenever I choose."

TJ laughs a little and I look over at him. He hasn't smiled once since we've been here. I forgot how bright it can look.

"Well, I'm working late. Amar has me on patrol starting at eight." Zeke says rising from the floor. "But if I tell him what happened here tonight—

"No." I say sternly. "Amar can't know or help. It's important that he stays out of it. Trust me."

Zeke grimaces and shakes his head. He throws up his hands and says "Okay. You're the boss, kid."

"I don't have to work tomorrow. I need to go see Susan. Then I'm free." Uncle Caleb says. He looks determined and curious like he always has to me.

"Tris and I can leave work early." Christina says looking at my mother who nods.

"I'll be sick then tomorrow." Uriah grins widely at us.

Everyone laughs a little and I look at my father. He sighs and says "Johanna won't be too happy, well—-I don't have to go in tomorrow either."

I shake my head and say "No, you have to go to work Dad. All of you do really. You can't forget about your daily lives here. You have to go about this like everything is completely normal, or whatever that is for you. Don't draw too much suspicion. Remember, we're about to break into a federal building and destroy top secret documents."

Cara nods and says "Very wise, Natalie. I agree. Now what time and will we be back here?"

"I think we should do four o' six in the evening. Get it?" I say nudging my brother who rolls his eyes and cracks a small grin.

"Perfect." My dad says walking over to stand with my mother.

"But we should meet somewhere a little more private." Mom says.

"In Candor, there use to be small private courtrooms. They've kept them all intact as far as I know." Christina says.

"Perfect." I say. "You'll lead us there?"

"Of course. Anything for my, um, niece." She laughs.

Everyone motions to the elevators to leave and Cara, Zeke, Uncle Caleb, Christina and Uriah get on first.

Before he leaves, Uriah leans down and whispers behind his hand to me "So, can you tell me if I'm Uncle Uriah or not?"

His grin is kind and bright and I can't help but laugh. He really is infectious as Mom and Dad told us when we were younger.

"Maybe you'll find out." I grin.

"Sweet. I can't wait to see what you'll show us tomorrow." He says as the doors open and they all pile inside the car.

"Yeah. You'll get to see us train a little. We studied with the Black Lion of Dauntless, so it'll be interesting." I sigh.

Uriah holds his arm out as the doors begin to close and his face, as well as his brother's lean out in shock and amazement.

"What did you say?" Zeke asks slowly.

"What? Us training a little?"

"No. You said Black Lion of Dauntless. That's not possible. He's dead." Zeke says darkly.

"I heard he was a myth!" Uriah says looking at his older brother. "There's no way a guy like him could've existed."

I chew my bottom lip and look nervously at TJ who shakes his head. He pushes Uriah's arm back in the car says "Good night, everyone."

The doors close and we're left alone with our parents who are standing close together.

"What's a Black Lion of Dauntless?" Mom asks curiously.

"You never heard of him? Not even you Dad?" I say looking at my father. He sighs and squints his eyes together.

"Maybe. But—-no. It was something some of the older Dauntless members used to joke about when I was first going through initiation. I never thought much of it. Who is he?"

"You'll see." TJ says coming from the corners with our backpacks. He hands me mine and I push the elevator button to call the car.

"Wait." Mom's voice comes softly as the elevator dings open. I turn to her and so does my brother.

They both look at each other briefly. Mom's eyes are bright and stern as she gazes into my father's indigo stare. They say nothing, but then he nods and looks up at us.

"You can't stay in Dauntless. You should come stay with us." He says firmly.

I feel my heart swell with elation and my face grows hot. I look to TJ who's eyeing me with a slight frown.

"I don't know if that would be smart." He says. "If someone see us with you all, it could ruin everything. We don't even know what kind of damage we're doing right now to our future."

"But TJ…we're already here. We've already revealed so much. Besides there's…there's things that only they can see. We can't invite everyone into our memories."

He grimaces only further and says "We're already being a burden to them."

Mom's face flushes red and she says "Don't be silly, TJ!"

Dad reaches out his long, muscular hand and puts it on TJ's shoulder lightly. TJ looks back at him and his hand with a mixture of perplexity and gloom.

"It doesn't matter. We believe you. You're our children. No matter how weird or crazy all of this is right now. We protected you where you came from, we'll protect you now. We're family."

TJ bites his lip and Mom places her hand on his opposite shoulder and nods lovingly. I look pleadingly at TJ who shakes his head and sighs in defeat.

"Okay. I suppose. But we have to be careful. Very careful."

I grin and then we all step inside the elevator. Mom and Dad stand behind us as we descend down the building. I look over at my brother who's standing directly in front of our father. They look like two mirrors. One longer and the other shorter.

I reach and take my brothers hand into my own and he grips it tight without look at me. I see him smile.

As we reach the lobby, I see the street is completely pitch black, the only lights come from the street lamps lining up down the row. Our parents walk out first and then we follow.

We reach the train tracks and wait for the twelve-fifteen train to come. I imagine what life would be like once this is all over. I imagine peace.

**leave a review! see you next chapter. **


	14. Chapter 14

**This is the first half of Tris' POV. Next chapter a very busy and interesting day will begin. :-) thank you for all the lovely reviews, i hope you're enjoying the story. i was only thinking of doing 20 chapters, but it'll probably be more than that. i can get pretty long-winded, but i won't apologize.**

**but i will say sorry for any typos you may see. leave a review. enjoy reading. **

Chapter 14

Tris

I peer from my bedroom door at my two children in my living room. I strain my neck to see if they are still in place where I just told them good night nearly an hour ago. I cannot help myself, I am so afraid that this is all still a dream. Any moment, Tobias will brush me awake with his lips on my collarbone like he usually does. But I dig into my palms with my fingernails until I feel the sharp pinch and see the angry red marks.

As I take a small silent step forward into the narrow hallway I get a better view of both of the twins. Natalie is under a heavy black quilt on the salmon colored couch Tobias and I picked out a few months ago. It was squishy and comfortable, I fell in love with it the moment I saw it in the marketplace. She sleeps on her left side and her face is hidden by her her hair.

TJ is lying on a floor pallet made of several blankets and he's covered under a spare comforter we have. He sleeps on his stomach and his messy dark blonde head is turned facing the balcony doors. I listen for their breaths but all I hear is my own. It is heavy and uneven, but I realize it is because I have been holding it for a generous portion of the day. I feel the cold wooden floor under my bare feet and I bounce a little on my heels.

Tobias' arms come around my waist unexpectedly, making me shutter a little.

"Let them sleep. You need to rest too." He breaths into my ear. I smell spearmint toothpaste and the alcohol from mouthwash on his tongue. I breathe him in, taking in his clean, but slightly musky scent. After all these years, nothing smelled better to me. I was grateful that it wouldn't change sixteen years from now. It's hard thinking about spending your life with one person forever, but Tobias and I have never been like most people. So many times, I thought we would lose each other. I am grateful for him. He is so intertwined in my existence.

I exhale and say "I'm afraid they'll disappear if I close my eyes."

He chuckles deeply still embracing me. I feel his heartbeat on my back through his grey tank shirt. "You know how I feel now."

I turn into him and kiss him deeply on the lips. He kisses me back and sighs.

"I'm afraid of what else they'll show us." He says as our noses touch lightly. "The future doesn't seem that great."

"That's why we're going to change it. They deserve to have peace. I don't care about a Divergent gene or a Resurgent gene. It doesn't matter."

I feel him pull away from me slightly and he says "Apparently, I'm the blame for that one."

I look at him and the forlorn and worried look on his face. I touch his cheek lightly and say "So I am, then. Tobias, it doesn't matter."

"I just…I was just…so…worried. I'd turn out like Marcus, but why do I feel like I'm worse?"

I shake my head and say "You can't possibly think that. I saw those memories. I saw us. Tobias you're a wonderful father. Just like I knew you'd always be."

He smiles into my cheek and says "What about you? Mama Tris doesn't play around."

We laugh quietly trying not to disturb our children sleeping eight feet away. "I can't believe I'm one of those Mom's who uses their kids full names when scolding them! Who does that?"

"You do, apparently." Tobias chuckles softly.

I smile and then a long yawn escapes from my chest. I feel Tobias pull me toward the bedroom and then he pulls the black sweater I'm still wearing over my head. The room is chilly and I shiver a little, but he kisses me and warmth rushes under my skin. He presses a large palm to my stomach and kisses me again. I'm wearing nothing but my own tank top and underwear now.

"C'mon let's get some sleep." Tobias says walking to his side of the bed. He moves his long, muscular and hairy legs under the covers and pats the space next to him. I crawl from the foot of the bed into the nook his arm. I curl into his body letting his warmth and the blankets cover me and I yawn again.

"I love you Tris." Tobias says sleepily.

"I love you." I sigh. I feel his body shift to get comfortable and I cannot help but close my heavy eyes. I hear Tobias cough a little and then sleep takes me.

I feel my body, no my stomach jolt me awake. I don't know what time it is, nor is that important. I yank the covers back and leap over Tobias' sleeping body and dart into the bathroom. I kick the door closed with a small slam and barely get to the toilet before I vomit into the ceramic bowl. I feel the bile and vinegar taste coat my tongue and teeth, all I can do is snort and spit. I breathe deeply, but I am heaving again. The smell of the toilet bowl's cleaning chemicals makes me more nauseous than I am right now. I have to yank my head away and I try breathing again.

My body shakes with sweat now and my hair is slightly damp on the ends from the water in the toilet bowl. I take a mass of toilet paper from the roll built in on the wall and wipe my nose, then my mouth. The room smells of sick, mouthwash, and the scented potpourri Christina gave me last week she found while shopping. Every scent makes me dry heave into the toilet, gagging on my own sour tasting spit.

I hear the door open and see Tobias's legs and long bare feet walk in. He grabs a washcloth from the linen cabinet near the shower. I say nothing as he turns on the sink and wets it. He crouches next to me and pats my forehead gingerly. He smells like our bed and his eyes are still ladened with sleep.

"I'm sorry." I say grabbing his wrist, taking the wet rag from his hand. "Go back to sleep."

He shakes his head "I'm not going to work today. This is the second day in a row. Let me take you to the doctor, Tris."

I shake my head and say "You have to go to work. I'll stay home and rest. Besides, I won't be alone. Natalie and TJ are here."

He recoils slightly. Perhaps I am pushing the limits of his trust for them.

"I'll be safe with them." I say confidently.

"I know you will." Tobias sighs rising from his knees into a crouch. "I'll go to work, but I'll come home early. Johanna will understand."

I nod and whisper "Thank you."

He helps me stand and I turn to the sink and slide open the mirror to grab my toothbrush. Tobias walks back out into the bedroom and closes the door slightly. I brush my teeth and the taste of the spearmint paste almost makes me puke again, but I keep it down. I rinse my mouth with water and splash the coolness on my face.

As I leave the bathroom I see Tobias has left the room. His space in our bed is a mass of twisted sheets and pillows. I look down at the small alarm clock on his nightstand and see it's only five-fifteen. He doesn't have to be at work for a few more hours. Maybe he's checking on Natalie and TJ.

I walk out the bedroom and into the living room to see Natalie sitting wide awake on the couch holding a small square picture. Her lower body is still covered by the black quilt. Her shoulders are broad for a girl and they hunch up like her father's. Her arms are long and study, so are her hands. But they still are soft in appearance and her long painted nails glisten in the rising sunlight. I peer over at the photo and see her and a boy with a large face, angular dark eyes, manilla colored skin, thin red lips and a short nose. He is very handsome and his smile in the photo is bright. Natalie has her arm around him and their cheeks are touching.

"Who is that?" I can't help myself from asking.

She sniffs a little and sighs. "Julian."

"Are you two friends?" I ask prying a little more. Natalie looks up and gives me a skeptical grin, but her face couldn't be more sadder.

"Maybe you'll see." She breathes as she puts the photo carefully inside a small pocket of her backpack.

I look to my left and onto the balcony where the sun is slowly rising, pouring the house with burnt orange light. Tobias and TJ are both outside watching the sunrise. Their posture is identical, weight shifted back on the their left leg as they lean against the rail. I hear their muffled voices and I try to hear what they are saying. Then I feel the room move under my feet and I catch myself against the wall. Natalie looks up at me and says "You should go lay back down, Mom. I'll bring you some water and toast. Put something on your stomach."

I shake my head.

"I'm fine." I lie. The room still feels a little tilted. She laughs and says "No you aren't. Please, go rest. I'll bring you something."

I listen to my fifteen year old future daughter and make my way back to the bed and curl up in Tobias' space. I smell his hair and skin in his pillow as I inhale. Within a couple of minutes, Natalie is at the door with a cup of water and a small plate of toast. I sit up and rest my back against the wall as she sits on the edge. She hands me the water first and I sip, letting the coolness pour down my throat. I take a piece of toast from her and bite into it. It is dry and coarse in my mouth. It goes down hard, but I eat it. There's two more pieces on the plate and I devour them within a matter of minutes.

Natalie smiles warmly at me and I say "Thank you. I feel a little better already."

"Good. You used to give me dry toast when I got sick as a little girl. You'd rub my belly and hum."

I chuckle and imagine myself the way she's shared with me. It reminds me of my own mother and how she would do the same for me. When I look at Natalie, I see her, my mother. I see her in her cheekbones and forehead. She has the same silent strength and beauty I saw when I was young in my mother.

I hear Tobias and TJ enter back in the house. Tobias' laughs and I hear his footsteps get closer. He enters the bedroom and smiles at both Natalie and I.

"Natalie made me some dry toast. It helps." I say to him. He nods and says "Thank you Natalie."

She nods and rises up from the side of the bed. Natalie wipes her hands on the cotton sleep pants I let her borrow and she sighs.

"Well, I'm going to talk to TJ about today. We have only a few more things to show you. Then we can go to the Bureau."

Tobias nods and I ask "But what about the things you can only show us?"

She grins and says "In time Mom. Don't be so hasty."

I huff irritably and she only laughs. "Besides you need to rest some more. Today will be a big day."

She glances over at her father who is pulling out fresh clothes from the small dresser against the wall. I eye her curiously. She's hiding something.

Natalie turns to leave out of our room when I call out to her.

"Wait…Uriah. He and Christina aren't together in the future, are they?"

She freezes against the door and says "No. They aren't. But that could change. Everything can change. Is changing, now."

"How does the future, time travel, and everything work?"

Natalie throws her head back and laughs deeply.

"You're asking me Mom? I don't know. Uncle Caleb is the one who knows. All I know is, that time apparently works on some sort of sort of loop. It's a cycle. Constantly in rotation. Or at least that's what TJ told me. He actually listens and reads about all that crap. It's the Erudite in him, I say."

Tobias turns to her and asks wondrously "You all took an aptitude test?"

She nods and says "George gave us one. We wanted to do one for fun. Even though the factions aren't real and don't exist anymore."

I sit up slightly and feel the curiosity on my tongue.

"What was your result?"

Natalie scratches her head and says "Inconclusive of course. I guess you would call it Divergent, but we know what or rather who we are is way more than that. TJ and I both got all five factions in total amongst ourselves. We both scored high in Dauntless, obviously, but he got Erudite and Amity. I got Abnegation and Candor. We actually broke the machine. Blew up internally and everything."George was pretty mad, it was the last thing he had of his former life."

She shrugs and walks out the room back to her brother.

I look at Tobias who is grinning and chuckling to himself as he pulls out a pair of long white socks from a drawer.

"So this is what our future kids are like? Rebels by birth." He says with a deep chortle as he walks into the bathroom. He closes the door and in a few seconds I hear the shower turn on.

I slide back down into the bed on my back and stare into the ceiling. I counted the cracks in the white paint and thought about how much I still didn't know or understand. Even with factions and everything behind me, they still haunt us. Their influence and lie has even trickled down into my children.

I close my eyes and imagine them at sixteen at the Choosing Ceremony. I see Natalie dressed in tight black clothing take a silver knife from a faceless Abnegation man. She cuts into her palm and drops her blood into three bowls instead of one. She disappears into a faceless crowd with multicolored clothes. I reach for her. But she has blended into a mass and swirl of colors.

Then I feel sleep take me again.

**next chapter. special delivery. more memories. Natalie and TJ's training with the Black Lion of Dauntless approaches! **


	15. Chapter 15

**thanks for all the lovely reviews. leave me more. hope you're enjoying the story. :-)**

**sorry for any typos. **

Chapter 15

Tris

I wake up to light laughter coming from the living room. I sit up in the bed and the room feels warm. I feel the heat on my forehead and I touch it lightly. A churn and rumble comes from my stomach and I wrap my arms around my frame. The toast I ate felt ages ago and when I look at the time, it's nearly one-thirty in the afternoon. Have I really been sleep for that long?

I get up and walk out the bedroom towards the living room. As I get closer I see Natalie and TJ sitting on the couch close together. They are talking rapidly and excitedly about something they're looking at in front of them. One our small round wooden coffee table is the cracked sculpture, TJ's sketchbook which is opened to a drawing of a Ferris wheel and a sheet of paper with messy writing.

"I think we should do it Friday. If we can get inside before—oh hey Mom." Natalie says turning to me. I tried to be silent as possible.

"Is that the plan to destroy the file?" I say looking closer at the paper. One of the corners is a scribble with the words "stun serum". I had never heard of it before.

TJ nods and turns to me resting his elbow on the back of the couch. "We're trying to decide what day would work best to infiltrate the Bureau. Friday or Saturday."

I feel my brow furrow and I say "But that's…that's in like four days."

Natalie nods slowly. "Yes. We're almost ready. Once we show you and everyone the final memories, then we'll be able to go over the plan and move forward."

"Then what happens?" I ask nervously. I know the answer. They cannot be here longer than they need to be.

"We leave immediately after it's done." TJ responds looking me slightly morose. "And hope for the best."

I feel light-headed again and I close my eyes and breathe. I hear the twins get up and TJ comes over to me to and grips me softly around the shoulders. He leads me to sit down on the couch. I watch Natalie over in the kitchen going through the cabinets above the small white stove. I look over at TJ who's smiling at me. His cheeks has small dimples in them that I never noticed.

Natalie takes a small cup of instant soup and puts it in the microwave. Her long manicured fingers press the buttons on the control panel, each one making a loud beep until she presses start. The cup begins to rotate and the microwave hums with power.

"Did you all eat?" I ask. I feel so horrible that I haven't even checked to see if they've had anything since being here. TJ nods and says "Dad made us breakfast, he said he would bring home lunch."

I sigh in relief and lean back against the cushions in order to keep my head from spinning. The microwave beeps and Natalie comes to sit on my opposite side in a few moments. She hands me the styrofoam cup and a spoon.

"Here Mom. Eat this."

I nod and thank her. The soup is covered by a red plastic lid with small perforations on the top. The steam from the chicken and vegetable broth billows in spirals that vanish in the air. I inhale the scent and for a second I think I am going to vomit again. I gulp and take deep breaths and I feel my children stare at me. They both are biting their bottom lips and I cannot help but laugh.

"You two look a lot like me. Doing that. Stop it, it's not a good habit."

They grin at each other and then a knock comes the door. TJ gets up and walks over. I watch him peer out of the peephole and then he unbolts the two gold locks, along with the deadbolt. I expected to see Tobias walk in, but it was Christina. She was wearing a black blouse and dark grey jeans. Her black trenchcoat with silver buttons and buckles was open. In her hand was a small brown paper bag and in the other a clear short umbrella.

"It's supposed to rain later." She breathes placing the umbrella in the corner next to Tobias' black sneakers. TJ takes her coat and she grins widely at him as he places it neatly in the coat closet on a hanger.

"What a gentleman." Christina chuckles. She comes closer to me with the brown bag in hand and scans me up and down.

"Well you still look pale." She giggles. I take a small sip of the soup and it's still too hot. I roll my eyes at her and grin.

"What's in the bag?" I say pointing with the spoon in my hand. Christina glances over at Natalie, who nods at her. I look at them both slowly and suspiciously.

"What…are you two up to? Why are you here so early Christina?"

She purses her bright red painted lips together and sighs. "The twins called me while you were sleep. They asked me to bring you this."

I watch her reach into the bag and pull out a long blue rectangular box. She spins it around so I can read the label. I peer closely at it and then I feel my stomach drop.

"A pregnancy test?" I ask quietly.

Christina nods and says "I was going to ask you yesterday had you considered taking one. But we got interrupted."

Natalie laughs lightly and I see TJ grin softly as he leans against the wall with his arms crossed.

I look at the box and then at my stomach. It peeks out a little from under my tank top and it looks bigger than before. But that's not possible. I'm imagining it.

"Just take the test." Christina sighs with a smile.

I look at Natalie, then at TJ. They're eyes are bright and insistent. I imagine them looking at me as infants, looking up at me. I hand Natalie the soup and spoon and get off the couch. I take the test apprehensively from my best friend. She follows me into bedroom and then sits on the end of the bed.

"I read the box. It only takes like three minutes. Accurate. The guy at the pharmacy said Erudite developed them a long time ago. They may have been arrogant, murderous, know-it-alls, but their technology is still unparalleled."

I force a laugh and try my best to keep my hands from shaking. I go into the bathroom and shut the door behind me. The blue box has small directions on the side and I read them over carefully. I look up and see myself in the mirror above the sink. My hair seems lighter and a little longer. My skin is paler than it usually is, but now it is flushed warm in places. I turn to the side and lift my tank shirt to touch my stomach. It protrudes subtly but it doesn't seem out of place…yet. I brushed my chest with my arm as I motioned to take the test out of the box and I found my breasts to be sensitive and a little sore. That definitely wasn't normal.

After I pee on the white plastic strip I set on the edge of the sink. I sit with my knees pulled to my chest with my back against the tub. The porcelain is cold and hard, so are the blue tiles under my feet. I can't help but wiggle my toes as I wait.

What happens if it's positive? I know that it will be Natalie and TJ. I know who they look like. But I also know what their future holds and for that I am afraid.

What if we fail? What if nothing changes at all? I have them only to anticipate the day Tobias and I will be captured and possibly never see them again.

I feel warm salty tears run down my face and I shiver. I have never felt this kind of fear before. I cannot bear it. Knowing I will not be there for my children.

I wipe my face and count the remaining thirty seconds in my head. If it's positive, how will I tell Tobias? Are we ready to be parents? I have always imagined my life filled with our children. To know we have two who are strong and beautiful brings joy in my chest.

Thirty seconds are over and I look over at the plastic stick balanced on the sink. I raise slowly and walk over, holding my breath with each small step and close my eyes as I pick it up. I feel my heart pound in my throat and I swallow hard.

I open my eyes. I gasp softly.

Positive.

I hold the test for awhile longer and stare at the blue cross in the small window. Everything is changed now.

I wash my hands and walk out of the bathroom. Christina looks up at me with worry and excitement in her eyes.

"Well?" She says leaning forward slightly. I nod and sigh as small tears escape the corners of my eyes and stream down my face. Christina's face brightens and jumps up to hug me.

"Congrats, Tris! Well at least you know what you're having and your kids turn out to be cute! Can't believe I'm going to be an Auntie!"

I breathe and she looks at my forlorn face. She frowns and puts her hands on my shoulders.

"We're going to help them, Tris. It's going to be alright."

I smile at her and tell her I'm going to shower. She leaves and goes back in the living room to where Natalie and TJ are. I hear their laughter before I go back in the bathroom. I close the door and slide down on to the floor. I feel the tears escape me harder now. I gasp between each breathe and I feel my nose congest making it hard to inhale. This feeling is strange.

How can I be so terrified but overjoyed at the same time?

After I shower, dry my hair, and get dressed, I walk back out into the living room and see Tobias sitting at our dining room table with Christina, Natalie, and TJ. They are eating hamburgers and french fries and I feel my stomach pain with hunger. Tobias looks up at me and smiles. He scoots over a little to an empty seat next to him. The table is so small and crowded but somehow they all fit.

Natalie looks up at me and smiles as she takes three fries into her fingers. I take my seat next to Tobias and he passes me a hamburger wrapped in wax paper. I take it and I cannot help myself but to devour it. It is plain without any dressings but I don't care. I finish it within a minute and Tobias eyes me and laughs.

"Hungry much? Have another."

I take it from the small pile in the middle of the table along with a pile of French fries. It tastes like nothing I've had before. I feel myself breathing hard through each bite.

"Okay now you're scaring me Tris. You act like you haven't eaten this a million times."

Christina rolls her eyes and takes a swig of water from the glass next to her. She swallows and chuckles "Well I mean she is eating for three now—oh my God. I was not supposed to say that."

Tobias drops his hamburger between his hands with a plop. Natalie and TJ look nervously at us both. He turns to me with his eyes furrowed and pouring with rising emotion. I'm not sure if it is anger or not yet.

"What?" He says looking at me. I look over at Christina and she covers her mouth with her hand. I know she didn't mean for it to slip out, but it still wasn't the way I needed to tell him.

"Christina bought me a pregnancy test. I took it just a few minutes ago. I was waiting for the right moment. But I guess some people can't keep their mouths shut." I say glaring lazily at Christina.

"I'm so sorry!" She exclaims. "I guess I got excited. You know I can't hold water."

Natalie and TJ laugh with her, but I don't join in. Neither does Tobias who looks from me to his hands. He gets up and holds the back of his chair, then walks toward the balcony doors. He slides open the doors and steps outside. I watch his palled face disappear and I bite my lower lip.

"I'm sorry Tris." Christina whispers wiping her salty fingers on a napkin. I know she feels terrible and she should. But that doesn't mean her intentions weren't good. Tobias was going to have to find out from me soon anyway.

"It's alright." I say rising up from the table to follow my husband. Natalie and TJ look at me and I give them a smile. "Keep eating. We need to head out soon anyway. Get ready after you're done."

"Sure thing, Mom." Natalie chuckles. "You're already a natural."

I can't help but grin. I walk toward the balcony where I see Tobias leaned over the rail, weight on his left leg as usual. He didn't bother closing the door, but I do. I hope that this wouldn't end us screaming at each other. I didn't want to fight.

He turns his head toward me slightly and says nothing. I lean against the glass and interlace my fingers behind my back.

"Christina doesn't have a filter, you know that." I begin. "I didn't want you to find out that way. I was going to tell you this evening."

Tobias sighs deeply as he scratches his cheek. I can see his jaw muscles moving and tensing.

"Stop chewing your cheek. Please look at me Tobias." I plead stepping forward to move closer to him. He turns around slowly but keep his gaze low.

"I didn't expect this to happen." I murmur.

"I know. Me either." He says quietly.

"I'm not…I don't want you to—

He looks up at me now and asks "You don't want me to what? Worry that we're not ready for children? Worry that their futures may not include us in the long run? You don't want me to worry that bringing kids in the world might be the stupidest thing we could ever do?"

I recoil slightly away from him and I feel my lips curl with the racing sadness and anger pouring over me.

Tobias sighs and says "I don't mean it like that. I mean that Tris this is dangerous. What if we can't stop this file from being destroyed? What if we do and still changes nothing? What if there's something else other than a DGD or Resurgent gene? We can't ever have peace! I don't want my child, or children growing up in that."

I shake my head and say sternly "I don't care. I will do whatever it takes. Whatever comes my way, I will protect my, no— our children. I will keep them safe as humanly possible. With or without you."

I feel the ice from my last words on my tongue shoot through him. He steps back this time and I can see nothing but hurt in his face.

"Tris. I would never leave you and our kids. I would never do that." He says shaking his head.

I feel hot tears flow down my face. I cannot imagine doing this alone. Raising our children, but I will. They deserve a chance.

Tobias comes close to me and grabs my waist to pull me in close to him. "You're the most important thing to me." He says hoarsely.

I sob into his red t-shirt soaking the fabric and I feel his racing heart on my cheek. He's afraid and I am too.

"All I want is peace for us. Our friends. Our family. Our children." He says holding me tighter. "I don't want my kids to see the things we've seen. I see it in them now even as they sit at that table. They know too much loss. They have had to run from too many people who want to hurt them. I don't want that. So I'm gonna do everything I can to protect them and you. I'll burn that whole damn Bureau down if that's what it'll cost."

I lean up and kiss him hard. He kisses me back deeply and I still feel myself crying. He gasps and says "I'm scared. But I'm also really happy."

He brings his large, strong hand gently against my stomach and sighs.

"Whatever it takes." He says talking to me, but also to the life inside of me. Life we have created. Life made out of our love. Life we will protect. No matter what.

When we arrive at the old Candor courtrooms, Caleb, Cara, and Uriah are waiting for us. The courtrooms are just the way I remember them. Covered in white and black marble walls, benches, and floors. It's chilly and I'm glad I wore my jacket. Christina walks over to sit with Uriah and he picks her up in his strong arms. She screams gleefully and then he kisses her deeply. I feel a pang in my stomach when I remember the possibility of their relationship ending sometime in the future.

I suppose I thought relationships like ours lasted forever because of all we've been through. I thought that everything we've done over the years was some kind of glue that bonded us forever. But I look over at Tobias who's watching TJ and Natalie setting up the crystal sculpture in the middle of the floor, and think about all the times we almost lost each other. I almost lost him today or so I thought. Somehow he stays with me and me with him. He looks at me and grabs my hand tenderly.

"I love you so much." I whisper.

He smiles and grips my hand harder "I love you too. Always."

We walk over to my brother who's sitting next to Caleb and sit down. Caleb turns and hugs me and beams when we break away.

"Susan and I are working things out. We're moving in together."

"That's wonderful Caleb. I'm so happy." I say holding his smiling cheek. "Let us know what we can do to help."

I nods and then Natalie turns around to face everyone. "Let's get to it then. This next memory will show you more of the DGD's influence in Chicago. Pay close attention."

Uriah says excitedly "And you're gonna show us the Black Lion of Dauntless right!?"

TJ nods and smiles softly. "Yes. He was our teacher."

I notice a twinge of sadness in his tone. I see Natalie's face sink a little. Something must have happened to this Black Lion of Dauntless.

"Who or what is he?" Cara asks crossing her leg over her thigh.

Suddenly the courtroom doors open and Zeke walks in. He's dressed in his all black police uniform and his patent leather boots shine on the glossy black and white tiles.

"Amar found someone else to do patrol tonight, he let me off. You all should lock the door. Just because these aren't really used anymore, people still work here." He turns and bolts the doors shut.

"The Black Lion of Dauntless is an old story some of the older Dauntless used to talk about. My mom and her friends would get together, play cards, get drunk, eat cake, and sing songs about him." Uriah continues.

Zeke comes and takes a seat next his brother and shakes his head. Uriah grins at him and says "You remember the song, Zeke."

"Don't sing—

But it was too late. Uriah stood up and rested his right leg on the counter in front of him. He stretched his arms in front him and curled his hands into claws. He took a deep breath and began to sing.

"Black Lion.

Black Lion.

Fingers of steel.

Black Lion.

Black Lion.

One hit kill.

Black Lion

Black Lion.

Before he will fall

He'll snatch out your eyeball!"

He finished on a croaking high note and Zeke is hiding his laugh behind his hand.

Everyone stared at Uriah who's eyes were narrowed fiercely to the ceiling and his arms were still raised. Natalie laughed loudly and tears were streaming down her face. Cara rolled her eyes and said "It sounds like a farce to me."

"It's not. He really did snatch out someone's eyeball. Or at least that's how the story goes." Zeke says putting his feet up on the counter, crossing them at the ankles. "He was an initiate who transferred from Amity. He was in Amar's initiate class, along with Max. From what Amar says, he was in the lead to be top of his class. The Dauntless leaders at the time took a keen interest in him. He was the first choice before Max to take the place of the old leader, Frank. But Frank and the other leaders noticed he was a little too strong, a little faster than the other initiates."

"He was Resurgent." I mumble.

TJ nods and Natalie says "You catch on quick Mom."

"What happened to him?" Tobias asks eagerly.

Zeke picks at his fingernails and says "Well when it came down to the fear landscape training, he quickly maneuvered through it. He was good. You know if you were too good, then that raised eyebrows. He was classified Divergent. Frank and the newly Erudite representative Jeanine Matthews couldn't have that. So Frank had to get rid of him. The way the story goes is, he called the Black Lion into his office with about six Dauntless soldiers inside. The Black Lion was naturally distrustful of people. Amar said he didn't have many, if any at all— friends."

I watch Zeke sit up now and he leans forward. "Frank was going to kill him personally. But he knew he wouldn't go down without a fight. He had his personal guards in the room with him and also Max, who was ordered to bring Black Lion into the office. Frank pulled out the gun and prepared to shoot him in the head. Next thing you know the Black Lion has Frank in a headlock."

Zeke raises his index and middle finger together with his thumb.

"The Black Lion snatched Frank's eye right out the socket. Three fingers. Then crushed his throat with just his hand. One hit kill. The guards all fired, they emptied at least five rounds of bullets each at him. Not one hit him. The legend goes the Black Lion took fountain pen from Frank's desk and killed all of the guards. Stabbed them all in the neck or eyes. He nearly killed Max but he spared him. Then he was gone. Fled into the night."

I felt myself on the edge of the bench as I watched Zeke finish the story. My brow is dripping with sweat and I peer over at Caleb who looks like he'll be sick. Cara sits statuesque with her arms folded. Her lips are pursed in disbelief.

Christina whistles and shakes her head. Her eyes are wide and she murmurs "That can't be possible."

Zeke shrugs and says "Most people don't believe it. Like I said it was a myth in Dauntless for a long time. But Frank, the old leader, did disappear and all of a sudden after Amar's initiation, Max became a leader. Apparently he didn't speak to anyone for days after Frank's…absence. Amar says the day it supposedly happened, he came back to dorms bruised and bloody, face drained like he saw a ghost. The Black Lion disappeared too. They were told he dropped out and went to be factionless. Nobody was to question it or they'd be kicked out."

I look over at Natalie and TJ who say nothing. They press the button on the sculpture and the narrow scope raises out of the center.

"Perhaps we'll see if the stories are true." Zeke says turning his attention to the twins. I look over at them and they sit down. TJ grips Natalie's hand and she turns to him.

"Let me show this time TJ. You just follow me, okay?"

He nods slowly and they both look at Tobias and me. Tobias nods and I do too.

The holographic screen appears in an arc of light. It flashes and jumps.

I see smoke, rubble, a bloody leg.

The the image shifts and I hear screeching tires on pavement.

Then there's darkness.

**Natalie's POV next!**


	16. Chapter 16

**this was hard chapter for me to write, i was getting really emotional. i'm a big sap. enjoy the chapter!**

**apologies for typos. **

Chapter 16

Natalie

I dream I am flying. I am soaring above maroon painted clouds and below me are deep navy waters. I see my distorted reflection stretch and bend as I swiftly race over the lake and I reach my fingers into the cool wetness. It billows between hands and I feel myself smiling as it brushes my skin. But then I raise my hand out of the stream and it is coated in dark red paint. I shake my head and I slowly bring my hand to my nose. I cringe. The liquid smells like copper and is sticky. I look down and I the beautiful lake has turned into a pool of blood. I fall from the clouds that are now raining huge droplets of blood. It coats my whole body and I scream as I fall into the lake. The blood swims up my nose and into my mouth, drowning me. I scream.

I scream. I scream.

"Natalie, wake up!" A sharp voice comes and hands reach on my body. I jolt upward and swing my arms madly through my yells and hot tears pouring out my eyes. A light comes on and I find myself in a room that is unfamiliar. I try to leap out of the bed I am in, but strong hands still struggle around me. I look up and I see Amar's scrunched and annoyed face. At the door is George, standing in a dark green sweater and blue jeans. His eyes are scared and he bites his finger nervously.

"Where I am?! What have you done to me!? Where's my mom! I want my mom! Dad! Dad! TJ!" I holler looking madly around for them. Amar forces me still and says "Stop it girl, you're gonna reopen your wound if you don't calm your ass down!"

I stop and my heart is pounding hard. I am crying. My body feels extremely sore and stiff. I see my wrist is bandaged by thick medical wraps and stuck together with safety pins. I reach up and touch my forehead. I wince when my fingers graze against a square gauze patch that feels soaked with blood. My head is light and my body is covered in sweat.

That's when it hits me. My home was destroyed. My parents are dead.

I sob into my palms hard and howl. I feel like someone has punched a hole in my chest. I feel the tears stream and feel they'll never end. I choke on my saliva and cough.

Amar says "We found you and your brother. We were on the way to your house to warn Four and Tris that the DGD were after you two. We got there too late."

I look up and sniff, my eyes making my vision blurry.

"TJ is alive?" I moan.

George nods and says "Yes, he's on the couch. You two have been asleep for hours. I'm surprised, I thought you'd both be out for days."

I gasp and wipe my nose with my palm. "TJ's awake?"

Amar nods and looks out the window. "Only got up about an hour before yourself. He's a mess. George has been sitting with him and I came to check on you."

I get up and find my legs are sore and my ankle feels sprained. I fall back and both George and Amar walk over to me helping me back up.

"You have to take it easy, kid." Amar says. His dark skin is smooth and long locked hair is graying in places. It is loose and covers both of his shoulders. They lead me down a long hallway into their living room. Their home is draped in dark colors and furniture, but it feels warm instead of morbid. On a wall near the kitchen are pictures of them and different people. I feel my stomach drop when I see the picture of my parents on their wedding day. Amar was one of my father's groomsmen along with George, Uriah, and my Uncle Caleb. Uncle Zeke was his best man. I don't know why I'm remembering any of it. It won't bring him back.

George and Amar lead me to their dark gray suede couch and my brother is sitting with his head down and his knees pulled into his chest. He is sobbing and I see his fingers on his right hand are bandaged. His leg is wrapped in thick bandages and there's dark reddish brown patches on the white.

He looks up at me, his face red and his eyes bloodshot. He gasps and I limp over to him. I embrace him and he cries loudly into my shoulder. I feel my own tears race down my face and I'm trying to think of anything, anything to say that will make it better. The words elude me.

"We got there in time to see the DGD vans pull away. We pulled you two out. I'm surprised you all survived that. The whole house is gone."

I feel TJ's hot breath and tears on my neck and I release him slightly. I look at Amar and George and ask "But our cousin, Andrew. Where is he?"

They look nervously at each other and my stomach drops. But Amar shakes his head and says "He's alive."

I sigh with relief a little.

"His father took him. He's banged up pretty bad though. They told me he's stable right now, but his condition is still critical." George says putting his hands in his pockets.

"Who's 'they'?" I ask hoarsely.

"His father and mother. They've had to run. The DGD is coming after anybody who you two are directly related or close to."

I don't understand. I shake my head confused and TJ chokes "Then why aren't they after you two?"

Amar sighs and says "Because we work for the government. The DGD is a government operation. They know we wouldn't harbor fugitives. Or so they think."

"So we're fugitives?" TJ gasps his voice shaking with anger. "On what charges? What have we done that constitutes soldiers coming into our house and destroying it? What gives them the right to come and—-and kill our parents?"

He sobs into his arm and hold him close. His body is shaking in my arms.

George clears his throat and says "The DGD is a new government operation. They work closely with the Department of Defense of the United States Government. They are looking for individuals who are classified 'genetic hostiles'. They came into the police station last week and told us they would be moving into the city to begin operation. The genetic hostiles they are looking for apparently have some sort of extraordinary abilities, but that's impossible. What they are looking for can't possibly exist."

He looks to Amar for support but he stares at us sternly. I look back at him curiously and ask "What?"

"What happened in school today? You encountered one their agents today, didn't you?" Amar asks darkly.

I shake my head, but TJ raises up from my chest and his eyes are wide. "How did you know?"

Amar turns to the small table on his right. On top are glass decanters with amber brown liquid in each of them. He takes a small square glass and unstoppers on of the bottles with the same hand. I see him pour a small amount of the liquor into the glass and he sits the container back down.

He turns to us and take a short sip from the glass. Amar's face scrunches a little as he swallows. He spins the rest of the strong, bitter smelling spirit in the glass with his fingers and says "They came into the station yesterday. They were looking for specific individuals. The commissioner called some of the force in a meeting and told us."

I raise my eyebrows and ask nervously "Who were they looking for?"

I knew the answer, but Amar says it anyway. "They were looking for you both. Your parents as well. The DGD said Four and Tris were involved in dangerous security matters. Said they were raising their children to be genetic hostiles. But the commissioner wouldn't help them and he couldn't. Even if the DGD is government funded, they still don't have any jurisdiction here. We can't arrest people without a proper warrant or reasonable evidence. We had never heard of any genetic hostiles before, nor do we care."

He takes another swig of the drink. George continues and says "Needless to say, they weren't happy they couldn't get our help. So I guess…they took matters into their own hands."

TJ shakes his head and says "That doesn't make any sense. Why would the government treat fourteen year olds as 'genetic hostiles'? We don't even know what that means."

I look at Amar who finishes the drink. He still looks like he's hiding something.

"So…you knew someone was after us a whole day before this shit happened?" I ask feeling my body ache with pain and now rising anger. He looks up at me and blinks rapidly.

"Yes." He says simply.

"And you didn't think to tell my father or mother?"

He rolls his eyes and sighs, but something washes over me that felt like white-hot liquid. It burned under my fingers and through my legs. I found myself leaping off my feet and next thing my palm connected hard to the side of Amar's face. He stumbles back and hits the kitchen counter. I rush into his chest and find his face again.

"You son of a bitch! You knew! You knew!" My fist felt heavy as steel but light as air as I connected two blows to his face. Amar quickly shields his face before I can land another blow and he pushes me off of him. I feel George grip me under my arms, constricting my movement. I kicked him in the shins and he groaned and sank a little to floor. His grip was still tight and I felt myself crying angrily and sobbing.

"You could've—you could've…" I sob feeling George's strong arms pull me away from Amar who's caressing his jaw with his hand. His lip is bleeding and his dark skin is red from my palm print. He glares icily at me and spits a bloody glob of spit on to a wad of paper towels he grabbed from the counter.

"Calm down Natalie!" George says gripping me, breathing hard into my ear. TJ is watching nervously from the couch. I feel nothing but the angry fire in my chest and in the tears falling down my face.

"It may interest you that I did try to warn Four. I went to his job yesterday, but he was already gone. I tried calling Tris too, but apparently they were all unavailable."

"Then you didn't try hard enough." I spit at him.

"No listen, Natalie, it's not that easy." George says relaxing his grip a little, but still not to where I am free.

"The DGD had infiltrated both of their jobs. They had agents there watching them for months. I found out yesterday. They have agents all around the city. Whoever is running this operation has been planning it for a very long time. It won't be long before they get more influence in the city. I'm sure the police force is already compromised or will be soon." Amar says wiping a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth.

"Then how are we supposed to trust you all?" TJ asks quietly. Amar looks at him coldly and says "Why would we bring you here if you couldn't trust us? My God, and Four told me you were intelligent."

"Don't you speak to my brother that way!" I say struggling against George's grip.

Amar looks at me and says "You should calm down. You're bleeding."

I feel the dark sticky drip on my forehead but I can't quell the anger pouring over me. I try to breathe and stop my heart from pounding in my eardrums.

"Listen, there's something important we have to tell you." George breathes into my ear. "Your parents…"

"What about them? They're gone." TJ chokes. I look over to him to see him struggle to not cry. He balls his hands into fists and keeps them tight against his sides.

"Yes they are." Amar says "But they aren't dead."

I look up at him and then over at my brother who falls down on the couch, his eyes wide and full of disbelief.

"What do you mean? We saw them die. That light disintegrated their bodies. It blew up our house. There's no way…" I gasp as George releases me. He still looks cautiously at me and I know he is prepared to stop if I do anything stupid again.

"No. They were captured by the DGD. For what reasons, I do not know. But an informant of mine told me he saw one of their representatives with their bodies. They were very much alive. Apparently they've been taken for genetic testing at a DGD facility here in the city." Amar says leaning against the counter.

"Genetic…testing? For what reason?" TJ asks angrily. "Why aren't we going to get them? Why aren't you all going to get them?" He points to Amar who shakes his head again.

"Kid, don't you think if it was that easy, we would've?" He sighs tiredly.

"Talk to me like I'm stupid again, I'll be the one who punches you next." TJ growls darkly.

George looks at him cautiously then at Amar.

Amar laughs lightly and says "Okay kid. You two have a temper problem you know? Okay—don't look at me like that George—It's not that easy because firstly, we don't know where the facility is, secondly, even if we do find it it will be most likely heavily guarded, and finally, the DGD didn't capture your parents to kill them or harm them. From what I can tell they are comprised of mostly geneticists. I know that whoever wants them, they won't damage them…yet. Besides they're really after you all. Or least that's what we think."

"We're coming up with a plan." George says walking over to Amar. He peers at his cheek and bleeding lip. I watch him go into the kitchen and wet a small clean dishrag with cold water. George walks back over to him and presses the cold cloth to the side of his face gingerly. Amar winces, but he smiles at him lovingly. It reminds me of my parents and I feel the tears brim over my eyes again.

"What does the plan entail? Where's our Uncle Caleb? Did they tell you where they were going?" TJ asks walking over to me. He helps me to my feet and embraces me around the shoulders.

"I can't tell you that." Amar says taking the rag from George. "He told me to keep you all safe until further orders. He's the one who's calling the shots apparently."

I look at him and feel a little angry again. Who is he to keep secrets from us? Apparently he notices and raises his hands up as if to tell me to calm myself.

"I can't tell you because I don't even know. Honestly." Amar admits with a grimace. "He said it was important for him, your Aunt Susan, and your cousin to get safe first. Their house was attacked too, earlier this evening."

"But if they don't have authority here—" TJ begins, but George interrupts him. "They have authority, but they just can't enlist the police to help them. Not yet anyway."

I don't understand any of it. How can we be so powerless to a bunch of thugs with government titles?

"What are they looking for?" TJ asks looking at them both directly in the eye. "Do not lie to us."

Amar looks at George who looks down at the graphite colored carpet underneath his feet. He clears his throat and says "They're looking for individuals with what they call a Resurgent gene. They're looking for people with superhuman abilities and genetic codes."

TJ scoffs and rolls his eyes, but I look at him curiously. I remember his fight at school from earlier and him trying to explain it to me. He mentioned how he moved faster and stronger, but I did not believe him. I have never seen my brother get into a fight and now that I really think about it, there's no way someone as scrawny as him could beat Randy.

Amar looks at him and says "Don't act like you don't believe it. You experienced it today at school right? Your fight?"

My brother's face drains of color and he presses into me.

"How did you know that?" He chokes.

George says "Our informant says they heard one of their agents talking about it. She was there to observe you. Said the agent's name was R5 or something."

TJ doesn't say anything. I know they're telling the truth from the look on his face.

"So what happened kid?" Amar says leaning forward a little. TJ looks darkly at his hands and retells the fight in the locker room. When he finishes I cannot believe my own ears or my brother's words. But one thing TJ is not good at, is lying. Usually anyway.

Amar and George look at each other and then back at us.

"That means your sister probably has the gene too then." Amar says nodding at me. I shake my head and say "I've never…I can't do any of that stuff. That's impossible."

"Not impossible." Amar says walking over to us slightly. "Just very rare. I've seen people like you before. Or rather someone."

George looks incredulously at him and shakes his head in disbelief.

"You can't possibly be talking about him, honey. He's a myth. An old wives' tale."

He turns and grins at George then at us. "No he isn't. I knew him. I saw him."

"Who are you talking about?" TJ asks nervously.

"The Black Lion of Dauntless." Amar says standing in front of us with his hands placed on his hips. "He was just like you two, Resurgent, and very powerful. Very deadly."

"Wait, what is all this? What's a Resurgent? I'm not it. I'm human. I'm not some crazy super powered person who can fly and shoot lasers out of my hands. You all read too much." I say angrily. I didn't have time for tall tales about some Black Lion of Dauntless. My parents are missing and I want to do something about it.

"If TJ had an episode today, then I'd wager you'll soon have one too. When I worked for the Bureau of Genetic Welfare, there was a room with a file that talked about the Resurgent gene. But it was labeled a failed experiment because the results kept failing. I guess that the DGD found it and started working on it again. If they have it, then they must have been working on it for a long time."

My head hurts and all I want to do is sleep. George frowns at me and my brother then says "Perhaps it's too much for one night. You should go rest. Or try to. I'll change your bandages before you sleep, yes?"

Amar says "Are you all hungry? There's some roast chicken and rice in the fridge. I can heat it up."

TJ and I shake her heads in unison. He grimaces at us and sighs. "Alright then, but you'll have to eat in the morning. You can't starve yourselves. It won't solve anything."

I look at my brother who begins to motion toward the back of the apartment, but he stops suddenly and says "Wait—what about our grandmother? Where is she?"

George nods and says calmly "She's safe as far as we know. The DGD came to get her at her job, but that's one smart, tough old woman. She fled the building and presumably the city before they even set foot on the property. I believe she was on her way to find you and your parents. Your Uncle Caleb contacted her and relayed the news."

I thought of my grandmother and I wondered how she doing. I wish I was with her instead of here. I couldn't help but feel a little abandoned by her. Why wouldn't she try to find us and take us with her? I shake the selfish and ridiculous thought out of my head and follow my brother back to the small guest room I woke up in.

"Thank you for taking us in." TJ says softly to Amar and George who both give us a solemn nod.

"We're going to do everything we can. I swear we'll get them back." Amar assures me by looking me in eyes. I want to believe him.

We spend two days in Amar and George's apartment and I feel myself going mad. Our wounds are healing, George helps to clean them and redress them after we bathe and before we go to sleep each night. He is kind and warm. Both him and Amar try their best to make us comfortable, but I can't help but break down in tears through the day. I try to force them back, but I can't. I don't sleep and TJ doesn't either. He cries himself to sleep and all I do his hold him. I have never felt more helpless and weak in my life.

I think of my parents and how strong they were. How strong they are, I mean. I think of my mother's amazing strength and my father's unyielding courage during the attack on our home. I try to find my own strength in them, but all I feel is the hollow pang in my chest.

I'm sitting by the open window of the guest bedroom in a large black chair an argyle print in the fabric. It is stiff, but comfortable and I'm grateful for the back support it gives me. I'm not as sore as I was two days ago, which is surprising because I survived an explosion, but I won't complain either.

I look out of the high window into the city and see the sun reflect on the glossy edifices in the distance. The light bounces off each glossy surface and the streets way below are moving with different colored specks. People are moving along and going about their days as usual. I think about how ignorant they are about what's going on now. How this Department of Genetic Defense has infiltrated the city and threaten the peace. How they are taking people off the streets and not being stopped. Government or not, they are nothing but a bunch of criminals. I hate them more everyday and I want nothing more than to find their headquarters in order to kill every single one of them. I surprise myself at the murderous thoughts that fill me.

I look away from the window and a cool breeze hits the side of my face softly. It makes my dark hair fly around my eyes and I brush it back against the wind. TJ is sitting on the floor with his sketchbook on his lap. I peer over to see what he's sketching.

"Are those…Dad's tattoos? And mom's?" I ask leaning a little closer to get a better view. TJ looks up a little at me. He looks sad and a little embarrassed because he covers up the drawing with his right arm. I roll my eyes lazily at him.

"You act like I haven't seen you draw a thousand times. Let me see it." I say motioning for him to move his arm. He moves it hesitantly and I can fully see the sketch now. In the middle are Dad's five faction tattoos with the Dauntless flames surrounding them. But Mom's three bird tattoo is circling around the flames in a wheel formation. It's is so detailed and realistic.

"TJ you're pretty amazing, you know that?" I say grinning at him. He looks at me oddly but then his mouth forms into a warm smile.

I look at the page and see small red drops drip on the page. They are dark and crimson in color and bleed on the image of our parents tattoos. I notice TJ's right that is bandaged with thick gauze is leaking and running down his arm.

"You're bleeding Tobias." I point and he looks down at his arm and then at his sketch. He sighs irritably and tosses the sketchbook off his lap onto the floor. He gets up and heads across to the bathroom in the hallway.

I study the image now smeared with bloody marks and imagine them inking across each faction symbol and bird. I see the blood pouring all over the page and then flooding the floor. It is hot and thick as it comes near my ankles. I see it washing over them and scalding the skin of my feet. I try to move from my seat, but the blood is coming closer. I smell the copper and I begin to feel my heart race under my ribcage. I yell but the blood comes closer and closer.

"Natalie!" TJ's voice comes out of the air. I yelp and look up at him. The blood has vanished and I'm gripping the arms of the black chair. TJ gasps and recoils back to the doorway.

"Your…eyes…what's wrong with your eyes?" He trembles pointing to me.

"What are you talking about?" I say glaring at him. But as I do I feel something pull me out of my chair. I lock my gaze with his and I'm falling in the stern blue hue of his irises. Images flash in my mind and suddenly I see TJ standing alone in a dark room. His face and eyes are covered in fear and suddenly the floor under him disappears. I hear my brother's screams in my ears and then he's dangling from the top of the Hancock Building. The railing he's holding is dissolving under his weak fingers. He loses his grip and is falling fast. He's falling into sea of spiders all crawling around each other. They are colorful and dark, their bodies hairy and legs long. Then they catch fire and TJ falls in with a screech.

"Stop it! Stop it!" His voice rings out to me and I see him on the floor against the wall of the guest room. His face is damp with sweat and he's gripping his face as he cries. I don't understand what is happening. I raise up and walk over to him, but he glances up into my eyes and scurries away from me with his head down.

"Tobias…what's wrong? What is it? Where does it hurt?" I sputter trying to reach out to my brother who hits my hand away.

"It's not real…it's not real." He gasps, his eyes bulging outward and moving rapidly. TJ blinks slowly and tries to calm his breathing. He swallows hard and sighs in quick breaths.

I don't understand what just happened. But then I get a glimpse of my reflection in the bathroom mirror across the hall. I do a double take and then rush toward the mirror.

I gasp when I stand in front of it. I feel my heart lump in my throat.

My eyes. My eyes are burning orange. I blink. I blink. I try to change them back to normal but I can't.

I blink seven more times before I scream.

I scream and scream at my reflection.

George and Amar burst out of their bedroom and find me sobbing on the floor of the bathroom. I hear George go across the hall to my brother. I cover my eyes with my arms, I feel the tears dampen them through my sobs. Amar crouches down to me and touches my arms lightly.

"Let me see, kid. C'mon."

I move my arms down slowly and feel my eyes burn and pulsate. As my gaze meets Amar's he stiffens and I begin to see him in the same black room my brother was just in moments ago. But then I see nothing but him staring at me in the bathroom. His face is ashen as he looks at me. I look away from him but he turns my face softly back toward him. He studies my eyes and I feel myself gasping for air.

"What's happening to me?" I moan, the spit from my mouth bubbling up as I open my lips.

Amar says nothing and says "You have to calm down Natalie. Concentrate."

I don't know what he's talking about but I try my best. I try to close my eyes and focus on my breaths. I feel my heart race in my chest and ears, but I try to just breathe more. I think about my mother's face, her smile in the mornings at breakfast. I think about my father's warm hugs he'd give when he come home from work. I think about my brother's laugh that is hearty and light. I think about my family happy and safe again.

After about five minutes of deep breathing and Amar's strong, warm hands rubbing my back in small circles, I open my eyes. They sting but I stand up with Amar's help. He releases me and I turn toward the mirror. My eyes are back to the brilliant blue they've always been. I grip the dark porcelain sink with two hands. Then I hear a small crack underneath both my palms. I step back and hold my left hand to my mouth to suppress a gasp. Where my hand just were are deep pressure cracks in the pearl gray. I turn to Amar who stares blankly at me.

He shakes his head and leaves the bathroom to go across the hall inside the room where George and TJ are. I follow him slowly and when I get inside, George is crouched in front of TJ who's sitting on the bed. His frame is trembling slightly and George is whispering calmly to him. I see TJ nod and wipe his face from glossy tears on his cheeks.

Amar looks at me and then at my brother. He crosses his arms and says "I knew you all were Resurgent. I knew it."

George and TJ look at him. TJ eyes me nervously and then looks away toward the window. I look down on the floor and try not to cry. I can't believe I did that to my brother. What's worse, I don't even know what I did.

"You experienced all the effects of a fear simulation TJ. I almost experienced it myself. It'll be alright, it was an accident. Natalie didn't know what she was doing."

He turns to me and says "You saw your brother's fears didn't you? You saw him in a fear landscape."

I'm not sure what to call it. I nod anyway.

Amar sighs deeply and wipes his face with his hand.

"She just cracked our sink too Georgie." He says looking at George who looks wide-eyed at me.

"I'm so sorry…I didn't know…what's happening to me?" I gasp looking at my hands.

"You're Resurgence is activating. Now you see what the DGD is after." Amar says with a grimace.

"What do they want with us?" TJ asks still slightly trembling.

"They want to control you all. They want to train you to use your abilities for their purposes." Amar says sternly.

"For what?! We don't even—I don't even know what I am." I say. My palms are sweating and my eyes are still stinging a little.

"You're the evolution, kid."

I look at Amar who stands with his arms folded. George looks at me darkly and sadly.

"Evolution?" I mutter.

"The DGD won't stop till they get you both. They won't stop till they find all others like you. I'm sure what their plans are, but they need to be stopped. We can't fight against a bunch of Resurgents, that much is for certain. But what we can do, is teach you how to fight. It's clear that's what has to happen." Amar says walking over to foot of the bed where my brother sits.

"Fight? How? We don't have time for that. Our parents could be somewhere being tortured or mutilated right now! I don't have time to learn how to properly throw a punch, Amar!" I gasp. I shake my head and grip the front of my jeans.

"If you want to get your parents back, then you will. Trust me, Tris and Four are safe for now. We need to make sure you all can protect yourselves."

"You are going to teach us?" TJ asks nervously. I can't imagine my brother hard-bodied and knuckles scarred from fighting. He's too kind and too gentle for that. Just like our mother described him.

"No." Amar says. "But I know someone who can."

George looks strangely at his partner with his eyebrow raised. "Amar, you can't possibly—he's a myth! Even if you did know him, he's probably dead by now! Don't do this."

He raises a hand up and shakes his head. "No he isn't dead. Because I helped him escape."

George's eyes widen and I look at both of them.

"How do you think I faked my own death when they tried to off me in Dauntless?" He chuckles moving past me and out of the door. He swung his long hair that was in a ponytail over his shoulder. I am still loss at who they are referring to.

But TJ piques up and says "You're talking about the Black Lion of Dauntless, aren't you?"

Amar nods and smiles widely at us both. "Yes. It just so happens I know where to find him. He moved back into the city. He's been here for about six or so years already. He still doesn't trust people so he lives in the underground."

I turn to him and say "The underground? You mean to tell me he's living in the old subway and train systems? Those places have been closed off for years, he can't possibly live down there."

He does nothing but grin at me.

"You'd be surprised on who or what lives in this city, kid." Amar says nodding toward me.

He turns away from the three of us and says "We can't travel during the day, and night isn't really safe either, but it's the best option. I'm going to find him now. See if he'll teach you. Be ready to leave by midnight tomorrow."

TJ looks nervously at me, then at George. "But I thought you were going to keep us safe?"

Amar sighs and says "I didn't want to say this. But the police force has been compromised. The DGD has successfully infiltrated and is taking over. Their agenda is quickly becoming our agenda. You two aren't safe here. I'm sure they'll be tapping and monitoring everyone on the squad. Besides, nothing could be more safe than learning to defend yourself. I know that the Black Lion will teach you. After that, someone will find you, either your Uncle or someone. I won't tell you not to worry about your parents, but it's important that if you help us you can at least know to properly throw a punch. Or knife."

He turns to leave out the apartment and George gets up. I hear the door slam as Amar leaves and an elevator ding in the distance. How could that be though? The elevator was down the hallway and three turns the right.

George looks at both of us and says "I would suggest you two get all cleaned up. I'll make you something to eat and pack you some food. Trust Amar. He knows what he's doing. Or least I like to think so."

He leaves us and in a few moments I hear the kitchen sink turn on. I look at my brother who looks more terrified than he's ever been in his life. I walk over slowly to him and pause.

He looks me cautiously in my eye and I say "I'm sorry TJ. I didn't know I could—I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you."

He nods slowly and then sighs. His feet are dangling and hovering inches above the ground.

I sit next to him and put my head on his shudders and sigh. He takes my hand into his own and I grip it tightly.

"So we're going to learn how to fight." TJ whispers with tremble.

I nod against his shoulder and think about my fist connecting with whoever ordered the attack on my home and took my parents. A blade shoving in their chest. A bullet soaring through their skull.

I was going to learn how to fight.

But I was also going to learn how to kill.

The thought made my stomach churn, but fill with joy at once.

What a strange, wondrous, and terrible feeling.

**TIME TO LEARN HOW TO KICK SOME ASS NEXT CHAPTEEEEERR. **


	17. Chapter 17

**i had to split some of this up. enjoy. leave a review. **

**sorry any typos. **

Chapter 17

Natalie

The next morning I wake up and the bitter scent of freshly ground coffee beans fill my nose. I roll over slightly to see my brother who's behind me facing the wall still fast asleep. I'm not sure what time it is. I see the sun peek through the dark linen blinds of the room, it is dusty and pale gold in glow. I hear the city alive with people, trucks, and trains below. I know the noise is distant, but somehow everything has increased in volume in my ears.

I put my hand to my head as I lay on my back and think about yesterday. I felt a lump rise in my parched throat and I swallow hard. Was I some kind of monster?

Amar said we were these so called Resurgents and that's why the DGD took Mom and Dad, but they were really looking for us. Maybe they were trying to bait us by holding them hostage? I peered over at my brother again, watching his mouth slightly agape as his chest undulated calmly. He looked like Mom when he slept.

Maybe we should hand ourselves in to the DGD. Maybe they just want to run some tests on us and then they'll let us go home. The thought is so stupid and naive that I push it away immediately. Whoever these people are and whatever they want, they will not let us go easily. One thing is for certain, they hold all the cards right now. We are powerless. I am powerless.

Or so I believe.

I decided to go shower and I raise out of the bed silently to not disturb TJ. When I get into the hallway, I hear Amar's and George's voices talking and laughing. I catch of glimpse of Amar's back hunched over the counter. He's wearing nothing but a white tank shirt and his smooth dark muscles in his back and arms are exposed.

I tiptoe into the bathroom as quiet as possible and shut the door. I grabbed my clean clothes George had bought for me and my brother before I left the guest room. The plain faded pink t-shirt, dark jeans that flared a little at the bottom, clean socks, a gray bra, and black cotton underwear were all rolled and bunched under my arm. They were simple and not really my style, but I was grateful. He bought us enough clothes to last us a few weeks.

After I shower, brush my teeth, and dry my hair I walk back into the bedroom. TJ is sitting up in the bed, his is hair disheveled and sticking up on one side. He looks sleepily at me and smiles weakly.

"Morning." He yawns stretching his arms to the air.

"Morning TJ. How'd you sleep?" I ask sitting in the dark chair by the window to put on my socks. He shrugs. I didn't hear him cry last night and I was grateful. Maybe we both decided that crying won't bring our parents back. Now we had to fight. That's what I decided anyway.

TJ raises up out the bed, his back still turning to me. I peer away, but then I see his shirt rise up in the back and my face drains of color.

"TJ…your back."

He turns to me, eyes still low and full of sleep. "What is it?"

I stand up and I walk over to him. He raises his eyebrows up at me and stiffens.

"Take off your shirt Tobias." I say.

He laughs lightly and says "Natalie, look we're too old to take baths and stuff together anymore. Don't be weird."

I huff indignantly and shake my head. I turn him around and he yells a little as I yank his shirt over his head. I freeze and step backward, cupping my hand over my mouth.

TJ spins around like a dog chasing his tail and looks at my nervously with his shirt still attached on his head.

"What is it?! What?!"

TJ's back is covered in tattoos. The same exact tattoos our father has. I see the five faction symbols— Erudite, Amity, Candor, Abnegation, and Dauntless, with flames licking up each side.

That's impossible.

TJ spins forward again and the shirt drops. He's clutching his back and staring wildly at me. I go around him and lift it again to get another look.

"Natalie—what is it? Please tell me." He gasps as his voice shakes with fear.

Suddenly George comes into the room with fresh bandages and antiseptic in hand. He sees my brother's back and yelps a little.

"Whoa, TJ. When did you get that done?" He trembles.

My brother still can't see it, so I grab him, walk past George, and head into the bathroom. TJ's skin feels clammy now and I can see small sweat droplets dripping down the dark ink on his back. In the bathroom I raise his shirt off his head and face his back toward the mirror above the sink. I immediately look around for any other reflective surface when I stop and look up his chest. I shutter a little when I see three inked birds on his collarbone,

"TJ, look at your chest."

He looked down at his pale and skinny chest, his eyes hovered before they landed on the birds. His eyes grew wide with shock and he touched the tattoos gingerly with his fingertips.

"But how…" He whispers. I shake my head and point inside the mirror.

He cranes his neck slightly but he still can't see the tattoos. I search the bathroom drawers for anything shiny, running my hands over nothing but a brush, shaving cream, cotton balls, and a razor. Then I remembered that George bought me a small compact makeup kit he found at the marketplace. It was the wrong shade and color foundation, but the thought was nice all the same.

I rushed back into the bedroom and dug it out of the pile of clothes and toiletries near the foot of the bed. As I entered back into the bathroom, TJ was placing his fingers against the three birds. He looked up at me weakly when I returned. I could see goosebumps prickling against his bare chest when I handed him the compact mirror.

He held it up and leveled it at an upper angle to his back. When the tattoos were in sight he gasps slowly. The mirror fell from his hands with a clatter on the dark tile. TJ reached his hand behind his neck and struggled to touch the top of his back. His eyes were glossy and his face drained of color.

"What's happening to me?" He gasps moving his hand now behind his torso to touch the tattoos.

I shake my head. From yesterday's event with my eyes to this now, I knew for certain that whatever we were, it wasn't normal.

George comes in the bathroom from the kitchen and he knocks on the door frame. TJ jumps and yanks his shirt off the floor, putting it back on.

George grimaces and says "I already saw TJ."

My brother closes his eyes and puts a palm on his forehead. He leans against the sink and breathes "It can't get much worse than this."

I agree.

George and I leave TJ to get cleaned up and I go wait in the dining room. The kitchen smells of freshly made biscuits, apricot jam, salty ham, and hash browns. I watch George finish breakfast as he hums to himself. He pours dark coffee into a chrome colored mug and sips the brew. I feel the bitter taste on my tongue and I haven't even drank any.

"No sugar or milk?" I ask. "How do you do it?"

He chuckles before taking another sip. He sits the mug down on the counter and turns back to the stove on his right. "I've been drinking it like that for years. Never really thought about making it sweet. I just need it to wake me up. It's not so bad."

I cringe a little as I see him drink more of it. Soon he sits a grey square plate in front of me full of ham, hash brows, eggs, and biscuits. The steam hits my nose and makes my mouth water. TJ comes from the back clean and fully dressed in a black t-shirt, blue jeans, and high top canvas sneakers. His hair is still a little wet and his face looks blank. I can see the Dauntless flames sneak up through the collar of his shirt. Just the way Dad's do.

George sits another plate of food down in front of him. He then fixes himself one and sits down to join us. I'm halfway through my food when I stop forking hash browns in my mouth to look for Amar.

"Is Amar not eating? I thought I saw him this morning?"

George spreads apricot jam in the middle of his biscuits and says "No, he already left. Left after you got in the shower. He's making sure everything is still on for tonight."

A little bit of potato falls off the end of my fork and I look down. I forgot that tonight my brother and I left for training with the Black Lion of Dauntless.

Black Lion. I still didn't believe someone with that name could exist.

"Why do they call him Black Lion?" TJ asks softly as he cuts his ham into pieces with a fork and knife. He's so well-mannered at times. I just ate mine with my fingers.

George sighs as he chews his food. He swallows and picks up the coffee cup again.

"It's a nickname they gave him in Dauntless. It's not his real name. Apparently they said the way he fought was unlike anything they'd ever seen. I heard the story goes that his punches are so strong, that when they hit it sounds like a lion's roar and that's where the name came from."

I rolled my eyes and shoved another forkful of hash browns in my mouth. As if that's possible. But then again, I am finding out that the impossible may just be more possible and a reality. I remembered placing my hands on the porcelain sink yesterday and both sides cracking under pressure. My pressure.

"How long do you think we'll be training? For a year?" TJ asks looking at George expectantly.

"Depends." George says eying us both. "I don't think we can wait that long."

I nod my head and turn my glass of orange juice on the table with my hand. I couldn't imagine us being gone that long. Besides I don't think that my parents would survive that long.

"How will we know that our parents will be okay when we're gone? What makes you so sure they'll be safe?" I ask nervously.

"We have someone on the inside of the DGD. Somebody who's been following their agenda closely since almost the beginning. They knew that your parents were being targeted but apparently whatever they want with them isn't the worst part. The DGD is planning something even bigger."

I open my mouth to ask what it is when Amar opens the front door and walks in. I watch him move slowly, almost as if he's limping a little. I look up at his face and it is slightly swollen on one side. His dark skin is discolored and I see his knuckles are bloody. George stands up in a panic and rushes over to him. Amar puts up a casual hand toward us and smiles.

"Amar, what happened? Did you get mugged?" George says assessing him worriedly. He peers at his body and I see his black shirt looks ruffled.

"Now you know just any old bastards wouldn't get over on me." He chuckles painfully. He presses his palm into his cheek and winces. "My friend, The Black Lion did this. A little friendly sparring match. Don't worry—i'm fine. The good news is, he'll take you both."

He looks directly at us and I look over at TJ who's watching Amar nervously. If this Black Lion did this to someone like Amar, I shudder to think what he will do to us.

Amar sighs and moves to the table. He plops down next to me and leans back in the seat. George appears with an ice pack which he lays gingerly on his partner's face. Amar gives him a quick kiss on the lips and I turn away. Now I felt like a visitor who's overstayed their welcome. I didn't think about how much of a burden TJ and I were to Amar and George. I'm sure they were glad to be rid of us so they could be alone.

"Why the long face, kid?" Amar says eying me under his ice pack.

I shake my head and say "Nothing. I just realize it's time for TJ and I to leave anyway. We can't keep weighing you both down."

George looks at me with a mixture of incredulity and sadness. Amar sighs and laughs lightly.

"We're not kicking you out cause we want or need to, Natalie. We're trying to allow you to learn how to protect yourselves. You want that right?"

I pause for a moment and think of myself holding a gun, aiming the barrel into someone's head. A rush of heat, excitement, and nausea fills me.

"If not for yourself, then to get your Mom and Dad back right?" He says as George puts a plate of food in front of him.

TJ says quietly "I want to learn. But I don't want to hurt people."

I look over at him and I cannot see him hard-bodied and aggressive. I laugh a little to myself. He glares at me and scathes "It's not funny."

"Well TJ, the point of self-defense is just that, defense. It's not to be abused. By learning how to fight, you're helping people." Amar says sagely.

"Is that what the police believe?" TJ asks.

George nods his head and says "In a sense, yes. Just like the old Dauntless days, it was and still is our duty to protect those who can't protect themselves. But you two can more than defend yourselves, I'm sure of it."

"If Four didn't get so soft over the years, you'd probably know by now." Amar says taking a large bite out a biscuit.

I scowl a little at him. "My father is not soft."

Amar shrugged and said "Four trying to be a politician was never going to work. That kid is a fighter. Through and through."

"I think it's great Dad didn't want us fighting." TJ says looking Amar sternly in the eye. "Mom didn't either. They said violence doesn't really solve anything."

Amar grimaced and shook his head. He continued to eat silently and I wasn't hungry anymore. Neither was TJ who looked over at me with his arms crossed against his chest. George cleared our plates away as we both got up to go back in the guest room we had been sleeping in for the past three days. As dangerous as it probably is, I'm excited to get outside again. I feel like a prisoner here.

TJ sits down on the bed and slides his hand under the back of his shirt. He feels around and I still see the tattoos lick against the side of his neck. He falls back on the bed and sighs as he stares at the ceiling. I lie next to him and look up too. We say nothing. The only sounds come from the muffled noises of the city and our breaths that turn into sleeping sighs.


	18. Chapter 18

**thanks for reading and for all the lovely reviews. don't be afraid to be honest with me! apologies for any typos.**

**BLACK LION OF DAUNTLESS TIME. **

Chapter 18

Natalie

We headed out of the apartment at half past ten that night. Amar and George gave us dark hoodies to wear to help us stay hidden. As we took the elevator down to the parking garage I looked over at TJ who's face is nearly obscured by the navy hood on his head. His nose and lips peek out the sides at me and he's breathing nervously. I reach and grab his hand making him jump and stare at me. I smile at him. He gives me a weak one in return. I want to reassure my brother that we will be okay, but I am in need of it myself.

Amar's police trucks is bulky and black. We sit in the back separated by a metal wire partition. I cannot see the streets as we drive, but the front windows are down and blowing a cool night breeze against my body. I am grateful for it. I hear George and Amar talk up front but I can't really hear them. I look at my brother who has his knees to his chest, feet on the seat, and arms locked across his chest. His dark blue eyes seem black and distant in the dimly lit backseats.

On the floor near the back doors are our bags. There's our black backpacks full of toiletries, snacks, and other items George packed us along with identical grey duffle bags full of our clothes, and two rolled squishy looking black sleeping bags They bounced and shifted as we traveled along the rugged streets of the city. I wasn't sure how we'd get into the old undergrad subway systems, but apparently Amar knew a way. I hope it didn't involve going through the sewer. I shuddered at the thought.

We rode for nearly forty-five minutes before we stopped. TJ must have fallen asleep because he sits up with a jolt. He relaxes a little when he realizes where he is, but he is still nervous. So am I.

The back doors come open and a flood of night air rushes inside. I hear the leaves rustle in the wind. I smell something musty and moist in the air as I jump out of the truck with Amar's help. His face is still slightly swollen on one side and now thick gauze wrap covered his knuckles. I'm not sure what exactly my brother and I are signing up for, nor do I think we have a choice.

TJ pulls his book bag on his back and holds his sleeping bag in one hand, the duffle in the adjacent one. I mirror him and take a few steps away from the truck to look around. Through the pitch black, I could tell we were in some kind of park. In the distance, about ten yards away I see small curved bridge over a body of water. It is wooden and also surrounded by rocks around the banks of the water. The water looks like black silk when it moves calmly against the breeze. There are tall, wild weeds shooting out of the liquid surface in patches.

"This used to be a well-known park here in Chicago. Jackson Park." George says coming next to me looking at the water. "It never recovered after the war. From what I've heard, it used to be beautiful. We're standing in the part known as "Japanese Garden"."

I turn to him and ask "What's a 'Japanese'?"

George grins and shrugs. He turns away from to go stand next to Amar who's looking around through the darkness. He then pulls a tall chrome flashlight out of seemingly nowhere, but I see he's wearing his police belt. There's a heavy looking pistol strapped to his right side and I notice George has one as well. Amar turns the flashlight on and a wide bright white beam illuminates the path ahead of him. He scans it carefully and then holds the light over his head. I see up ahead there's a grassy path that leads to a mass of tall, dark trees.

"It's this way, come on kids." He calls to us. TJ looks at me with dread in his eyes and I nod as I walk forward. He follows reluctantly behind me.

The grass crunches under the soles of my boots. They are new and black leather with thick laces and chrome around the eyelets. Amar got them for me and a similar pair for my brother. I felt a slight twinge of annoyance fill my cheeks. Did everything we have had to match in some way? We aren't five anymore when Mom thought it was cute to dress us identically. We weren't even identical twins.

Amar leads us deeper down the path and we pass strange remnants of sculptures made of stone. I feel I should be more interested in them, but I am more focused on the churning in my stomach. I look at TJ who's staring up at all of them. He is studying every detail and every mark. Typical.

As the four of us walk through a clearing of trees, we find another path full of dying grass and leaves. I'm not sure how long or far we have walked now, but I no longer see the Japanese Garden or hear the calm movement of the water. I look back and see nothing but darkness and shadow behind me. I gulp hard and find my throat uncomfortably dry. Then I feel the air get unusually warmer around me, making my palms sweat. I wipe them on the front of my jeans and look at TJ who's brow is glistening in the pale moonlight.

Amar stops abruptly and looks at George who nods. He takes his gun out of the holster and I recoil slightly as he raises it in front of him. I peer to see who he's aiming at, but there's nothing but dark space and trees ahead of us.

Amar turns to us and smiles slightly. He turns to the right and walks near a small cluster of wilting bushes. He bends down and moves the prickly looking foliage apart. TJ stands close to me and I can hear his breaths rattle in an out of his chest. I feel my own heartbeat throb in my fingertips and I shake them slightly to rid myself of the feeling. It does not help.

After a few moments, Amar moves the bushes to reveal small square vent cover on the ground. I feel my face drop. I was right. We were going into a sewer.

Amar must see the disgust and worry on my face because he laughs deeply. The sound reverberates around the trees and air.

"This is an old service entrance. It's not a sewer or anything. Apparently a very long time ago when the underground trains were running and after the first years of the war, these hatches were built for evacuating citizens. There's a few of them hidden around the city, but this one leads right down in the underground. I think it might even have some passages that lead into Millennium Station."

I watch Amar grunt and pry the hatch open with his strong hands. The vent cover is rusted and the gray paint on the grate is chipped. It looks older as I get a better look at it, but it also looks as if it's been fashioned for someone to enter again. I wondered if there were others living down below the city. Not just regular people, but people who were physically deformed or mutated. My mind drew a picture of a very tall thin man with two extra fingers on each hand. His mouth was a dark red maw and his eyes were high on his forehead. I can't help but to laugh at the image.

George turns a curious brow to me and I shake my head keeping the thought to myself. As Amar crouches down by the dark pit he raises his flashlight over it. The white glow illuminates metal latter rungs opposite of the side he was facing. TJ moved slowly closer to the hole and peered down slightly into the abyss.

"How far is it? Is the latter safe?" He asks curiously.

Amar shakes his head. A few strands of his beautiful dark locks fall over his face. He brushes them back with his fingers and moves closer to the latter.

"It's safe. I'll go first, you two follow after. George will come last."

I look at George who nods curtly at me. His hand is still tense around the heavy pistol and I know he will shoot anything that moves without hesitation.

Amar clips the flashlight to his waist and it's still alight when he does. He descends down the ladder, making the flashlight glow bounce and disappear the further he went. The metal rungs seemed sturdy enough but they still clattered with a small pang as Amar hit each one. It took him about a minute to reach the bottom and I hear his deep voice rise out of the hole.

"It's clear! Let's pick up the pace!"

His voice echoes around the trees and I look around at the shadowy leaves rustle in the wind. For some strange reason, I feel I won't be getting much fresh air any time soon. I breathe deeply and close my eyes. I guess a person never really appreciate things like seeing the trees, clouds in the night sky, and the evening air until they're gone.

TJ clears his throat and says softly "Well…I guess I'll go then."

My brother's eyes almost seem closed as he crouches down to meet the ladder. I see the corners of his mouth twitching nervously before he descends down. Now there's dim white light rising up out of the hole and I know Amar is holding his flashlight up at the ladder. TJ makes it down and then it's my turn. George gives me another nod, but this time with a warm smile. I try to smile back, but I'm not sure what expression I make.

I face backward and place my foot on the first rung. They are slightly slippery but then I realize my palms are sweating. I wipe each hand quickly on the front of my sweatshirt as I climb down the ladder, careful to make sure my footing is solid with each step. I feel the scent of the night air disappearing and now something like stale water fills my nose. I reach the bottom of the ladder and I feel Amar's hands help me down on the ground. His flashlight beam hits my face when I turn around and I cover my eyes. I see TJ's dark silhouette standing against curved wall to my left. I peer around me, but it is still too dark to get a good look at everything. Wherever we are, we are inside some kind of tunnel.

George makes it down the ladder a few moments after me. His dark hair and face are glistening with light sweat. Amar looks over him carefully and nods sharply. He walks in front of us with the flashlight illuminating our path ahead. I feel another light ignite behind me and I see George has pulled out his own flashlight now.

"Let's go. Stick together." Amar says turning to us. He walks forward and my brother and I pick up our duffle bags. As we walk down the narrow tunnel, I see it has been carved out, almost crudely, by hands and tools from long ago. On the walls there are patches of scrap metal and wooden boards. Everything is either weathered or rusted in some form or another. I see long gray pipes lining the walls between the patches of wood and metal. Some of them are dripping water down onto each other and I know what the stale wet smell is now.

The tunnel turns into an opening with a fork of three more paths ahead of us. Over the circular entrances there are small metal signs with words. I can't get a good look at them because it's so dark, but Amar turns to the tunnel on his far left and begins walking toward it. My brother and I follow silently behind him, only glances quickly and nervously at each other as we walk abreast. George is trailing behind us, his flashlight illuminating at our backs, and I can hear his breathing. It is calm and even. I don't if I'm breathing or if I even know how to anymore. My body feels heavy and mindless.

The tunnel we walk is shorter than the one we entered from, but the walls are still the same. Although I notice the walls are more earthy and comprised of mostly stone. Amar stopped suddenly and I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking so I slammed into the back of TJ. He jumped and glared at me, his eyes more scared than angry. Amar's flashlight found a heavy metal door with the words "Maintenance and Supply" on the front. I heard him sigh and he turned to us.

"Okay. Here we are." He said shining the light at our torsos. It painted strange and distorted shadows on the walls around us. I could see my stretched contour against the wall overhead and I studied it for a brief moment.

George look around and then said "Do we go in with them?"

"Please." TJ begged looking at both Amar and George. His short skinny body seemed weighed down by the dark clothes and boots he was wearing now in the light. I peer over at his neck and our father's tattoos are peeking up from the collar of his shirt.

Amar nodded slowly and said "Just to drop you off. We can't stay any longer than that. This is already immensely dangerous. The DGD could be watching us at anytime. I wouldn't want to compromise you both or worse—him."

I saw his dark face grow a little sallow in the limited light. By him, he must mean the Black Lion.

"Before we go in." Amar says sternly to my brother and me "Listen to me very carefully."

His words and tone grow darker now. Like he's speaking about something taboo or dangerous. I feel a chill drape around my shoulders as I listen to him.

"You must show absolute respect when dealing with him. Do not speak unless you are spoken to. Follow every direction without question or rebellion. Most importantly, and this is for you especially Natalie, you need to control your temper. No back talk. No side glances or glares."

I scoff and fold my arms across my chest. "I'm perfectly capable of controlling myself thank you. Besides, I don't think following someone without ever questioning them is beneficial. It sounds like control, instead of learning."

I look over to my brother and expect him to nod or say something in agreement, but he glances nervously at me. He turns back to Amar who's shaking his head and scowling at me.

"You don't get it. This man is taking a chance by even allowing us this far in here. He could've killed us before we even made it down the ladder." Amar says coldly. "He will train you, but if you think for a second that he'll show you mercy just because you're a child and a girl—

"I am not a child!" I seethe through my teeth. "I'm not asking for anybody to show me some half-assed mercy, especially because I'm a girl."

I feel my blood begin to steam in my cheeks and my ears. George says calmly behind me "Calm down, Natalie. You have to listen."

Amar looks sharply at me and say "Trust me when I tell you, if you think getting mad and flying off your handle and slapping someone, like you did me the other night, will okay—-then we won't be seeing you after this night."

TJ looks at me fearfully and shakes his head. I roll my eyes at him and the other two.

"What's the worst he'll do? Make me do extra pushups?" I chuckle darkly.

But Amar looks piteously at me and purses his lips. He clears his throat and says "He'll kill you. Without second thought and with no remorse."

I want to laugh, but the sound that escapes my throat sounds like a weird whimper or gasp. Someone who's teaching us how to fight wouldn't kill me. But Amar is not blinking nor is he breaking his gaze on me. He is not lying.

I swallow hard.

Amar turns to the door and puts his hand on the long rusted handle. Before he opens the door he says "Or he'll snatch out your eyeball. If he's feeling generous."

TJ chokes "Wh-what?"

Amar laughs darkly and opens the door. He steps into a dimly lit corridor and turns right. We follow him slowly and I jump a little when George slams the door closed. The hallway we're in is narrow, the walls are covered in torn and peeling cream colored wallpaper. The only light come from the ones with glass half cylinder covers adorning the walls. As I look at the small bulbs I notice they aren't that old. Someone has definitely been maintaining this place for awhile. I notice the hallway is much nicer compared to tunnels we just came from.

Ahead of us is a wide metal staircase that lead to heavy looking double doors made of some kind of steel. They are plain and brushed black, but above them on the post reads "Emergency Shelter Facilities: Authorized Persons Only"

The four of us move toward the staircase and walk up to the door. On the right of the doors is a glass booth built into the wall. It's labeled "Check-In and Security". The glass is cracked and caked with something dark on the inside. I immediately thought of blood and felt my stomach drop.

Amar pauses in front of the doors and raises his curled hand in a fist. Before he knocks he turns to us again and says "I know this is scary and you don't know what to expect. Neither do I. But he's the only one who can tell you what's going on with you and help you. Don't think of what he does as punishment or torture, although at times it may feel that way. Think of what you're learning, think of how it will help keep you alive. How it will help your parents."

I nod slowly and the image of Mom floods into my mind. I think of where I would be right now if none of this happened. She'd be sitting on the couch humming and going over papers for work. Dad would be sitting next to her shuffling through his own pile. Or they might be cuddled close together. Sitting in silence. Looking like two teenagers in love. Like they always look.

I feel my face grow warm and my eyes begin to water. I force the image away and look over at my brother who's face is still full of nerves, but now focused. His eyebrows were furrowed and his cheeks were stiff. He looked so much like Dad it hurt.

No matter what would happen to us. I had to look after him as much as I could.

Amar knocked loudly against the metal three times, then two times, then seven. I counted. Was it a code?

There was a pause then something buzzed and clicked. The doors swung open and light flooded my eyes. It was warm and dazzling almost. As my vision adjusted I walked in and found myself in a circular foyer. The floors were dark red wood and looked glossy. Surrounding us were faded posters, empty picture frames, and a directory. I looked at it and there were about twelve slots with arrows and room numbers on the side. The titles were made of white letters, some of them were missing and others were rearranged to spell different words. Some of them were vulgar and I couldn't help but laugh behind my hand.

Amar looks at me and I immediately stop. He smiles and chortles "Enjoy the laughs while you can, kid. Come on, he's this way."

We walk down a hallway with identical doors on each side, but they had no titles or room numbers.

"These use to be conference rooms" Amar says walking forward "There was a small resistance during the war that met and planned here. A lot of the refugees that came through wanted to be soldiers. They didn't get much accomplished."

I nod as we get closer to another set of double doors. Before we enter them I hear something coming from behind them. It sounds like small, quick bangs almost like someone is using a hammer against stone. But there's a rhythm and pattern to the noise. TJ must notice it too because I see his face trying to recognize and understand what it is.

I also notice the air has gotten thicker and warmer as we stand near the doors. It is stifling slightly and I tug at the collar of my sweatshirt.

Amar opens the doors and we walk inside a large space that is bright and warm. It smells of sandalwood, sweat, and wax. The floor is square and covered in the same dark red wood from the foyer. The only difference it is scuffed and scratched in various places. Above us are metal railings forming and connecting around an upper level. I see more blank doors and hallways up there.

But my eyes focus back on the space and sound in front of me. On the floor on the right of the room is a slightly elevated floor mat made of some kind of nylon and rubber. The banging sound heard before we entered is loud and reverberates around the room and in my ears. It is coming from a tall figure hitting a crudely made dummy of metal with long prongs protruding from different areas on the body. His arms, palms, elbows, knees, and legs hit each prong with a sharp blow and loud pang. I noticed there was a pattern to how his body moved and hit each part of the dummy. I also noticed that he was going unusually slow.

I looked at TJ who gripped his duffle bag straps so tight, his knuckles went white. I forgot all about the bags I had with me. I felt like I was floating somewhere that didn't exist in this world.

Amar chuckled silently and called out "You don't stop do you, Leon?"

I looked at him and then at the man who stopped hitting the dummy. So Leon was his real name.

Leon turned slowly around to us, his chestnut skin smooth and sculpted with muscle. He wore a black sleeveless shirt and black sweats. He wore no shoes and even his feet had muscles. His toes looked long and slightly scarred. On his left arm there were dark tattoos inking down his biceps and wrapping around his elbow leading toward his wrist. I couldn't make out what the image was. But his arms, were covered in scars that even a tattoo couldn't hide. Clearly he was someone who was used to fighting.

But his face is what interested me the most. He was stunningly handsome, but in a strange way. His nose was wide and his lips were a little too small for his face. Leon's eyes were low, cold, and toffee colored. His eyebrows were thick and bushy but arched evenly on his brow. I noticed his dark curly hair was graying in patches and so was his scruffy beard that stretched down his neck.

Before I could blink he was standing in front of the four of us. I felt my body tense up and there was something in me that wanted to run. My feet felt like they were glued to the floor.

Leon scanned everyone quickly, but then kept his focus on my brother and me. He was taller than I imagined. He easily towered over Amar who was quite tall himself already.

Leon's body seemed to radiate an unusual heat and the air seemed thinner as he stood near us. It was strange, daunting, and curious all at once.

He bounced a little on the balls of his bare feet and narrowed his eyes.

"So. These are the Resurgent children." He says his voice slow and deep. His tone seemed calm, but it also seemed bored or uninterested as well.

Amar nods and says "Yes. You know how to best help them Leon. We can't keep them safe up there if they don't know how to control themselves."

I glare at him irritably a little and roll my eyes. When I look up I see Leon's gaze burn into me, his jaw his stiff and lips pressed together. I feel sweat gather on my brow and I have to look away or I feel his eyes will burn me alive. I look at TJ who's stern-faced and flexing his fingers nervously at his sides. He is terrified.

Leon breaks his gaze from my face and looks at Amar again. "Yes I am. I will take them. You may leave now."

Amar nods and turns around with George. I see my brother's eyes widen a little when they motion toward the door. He reaches out for Amar's arm and stops him. Amar tries to give him a smile, but it's not enough for TJ.

"How will we know our parents won't die while we're down here? How long will be down here? When we see you again? How do we find you if something happens?" He sputters out breathlessly.

George puts a hand on his shoulder and says "Your parents will be fine. We told you, what the DGD wants, they wouldn't dare put them in any real harm—yet. But you must try to focus on the now, TJ. Train and learn how to use your abilities. Amar and I will send updates, to uh…is it okay if I call you Leon or do you go by Black Lion?"

Leon smiles softly and says "Leon is fine. Black Lion isn't a name I chose for myself anyway."

Amar chuckles and says "But it's a name well-deserved, wouldn't you say?"

Leon looks at his nails and says blankly "I wouldn't."

I look at Amar who just grins and shakes his head. He and George walk back toward he entrance doors and TJ moves closer to me. George reaches the doors, but Amar stops and turns back toward us.

He moves back in front of us and says in a low voice "I promised Four a long time ago that if something ever happened to him and Tris, that I would do my best to look after you both. This is the best thing I can think of. I know it doesn't seem like it. But trust me. Trust Leon. More importantly trust each other and yourselves. You're strong kids, it's in your genes, literally."

"Why because we're mutant freaks?" I say coldly crossing my arms looking at the dark wood floor. I feel TJ stare at me but he says nothing. Amar shakes his head and says "Look, I don't know too much about the Resurgent gene or anything like that, but I know it's real. The DGD wants as many people with it as they can have. I don't know what they want with it but it cannot be good. Better you learn how to defend yourself when we go knocking on their front doors. We'll need your skills."

He glances over at Leon who's standing still peering into space. His eyes are piercing and unreadable as I look over my shoulder.

George clears his throat and Amar turns to nod at him.

"Well this is where we leave. Leon will let us know when you're done. Trust me, if you're anything like he is, you won't be here for long. He's an unusually fast learner. You'll see for yourself. Listen to him, follow his directions, adapt, be aware of your limits, and for God sake, don't let your mouths get you in trouble. It will be the end of you. Literally."

He looks directly at me and I fight the urge to roll my eyes and retort. Amar gives us a smile and quick nod. He walks back to George and then they walk out the doors with a small slam. I listen for them as they leave until I cannot hear anymore.

I turn to my brother who looks at me carefully, then he turns to Leon. I turn around to see him still staring into space blankly. I study his tall, strong body and face. He's the same age as Amar or at least a year older.

I scan the space quickly and see a row of three long grey punching bags toward the left of the room. They are bulbous at the top and at the bottom. Behind us on right is a rack full of strange looking weapons. Some of them are long, wooden sticks with sharp blades at the top and others are plain. There's also long swords in the rack as well, their blades either long and straight or curved. I didn't think such weapons existed anymore or they were really rare. I had read stories growing up about heroes wielding swords, shooting flaming arrows from bows, but also harnessing some kind of weird magic in their palms.

I looked at my own palms that were clammy and moist. Was this all a fairytale? A simulation? Would I wake up and hear my mother's voice call for me?

I blink and I know it's futile.

There's a strange silence in the air, only filled with the hum of the lights overhead and an odd warm breeze blowing through. Where could it be coming from?

TJ looked nervously at Leon and opened his mouth, but then closed it. I didn't know if he was afraid to speak or if he just didn't know what to say. Probably both.

Leon looked at us both then began to pace up and down silently. He kept his arms folded behind his strong back as his light brown eyes pierced through us. I saw TJ shift his eyes down slightly and he stepped back a little as Leon came closer. I could smell him now. He smelled of sweat, something spicy and musky. It was overpowering, but oddly comforting.

"So." He said flatly "You two are Resurgent?"

I looked at my brother and he looked back at me. Leon's voice grew a tinge louder and sharper.

"I asked you a question." He said.

I nodded along with my brother. I'm still not exactly sure what a Resurgent is and what that means for us.

Leon sighed deeply and said "I see. I see. You all seem to have activated early. Usually it doesn't happen till you're at least a few years older. How old are you both anyway?"

TJ sputters and clears his throat. "We're fourteen, sir."

His voice is still shaky but I can tell he's trying to keep calm. Leon nods and says "You both had an episode where your abilities began to manifest a few days ago, correct?"

My brother nods and says "Yes sir."

Leon stops pacing and strokes his chin softly. He turns and faces the line of punching bags on the left. His movements are careful and it almost seems like he glides when he steps.

"Is your father also Resurgent?" Leon asks. His voice seems a little more curious now.

I shake my head and raise my eyebrows. How the hell would we know?

"Not that we know of, sir." TJ says a little more sternly.

Leon mutters "Then it must have skipped him and activated in you both."

"Okay, do you mind telling us what exactly all this Resurgent crap means? We don't even know what's happening to us." I interject irritably between them both. TJ rounds on me, eyes wide and angry. I ignore him and watch Leon stiffen. He turns to us and looks me directly in my face.

"Resurgence is a special genetic code that lives in certain people in the world. It happened to appear after the great war of long ago. Humans begin shifting, adapting, and evolving. They found they could do certain things that others could not." Leon says as he paces in front of us again.

He keeps his gaze now on the ceiling as he speaks.

"But you will learn about who you are once we begin training. It can be shown better than taught." He says deeply.

"Sir, may I ask what our training will consist of?" TJ asks softly.

Leon stops pacing again and says dully "You will find out soon enough."

Something in his voice irritates me. It feels as if he is completely uninterested in what's going on. As if we are nothing standing in front of him.

TJ gulps slowly and nods. I watch him and feel a pang of irritation with him too. He so petrified with some irrational fear of someone who doesn't even mean anything.

"You seem to be bothered by something, girl." Leon's blank voice says cutting through my thoughts.

My brother side-eyes me carefully and I roll my eyes and chuckle. I regret it the moment it escapes my lips.

"Something funny?" Leon asks slowly. I feel the unusual heat radiating from his body engulf me again and I feel sweat trickle down my neck. His eyes are burning me alive again, but I cannot look away. It would be cowardice.

"No." I say as sternly as possible. My throat is dry. "I'm just wondering why we've been sent to learn how to fight by a complete stranger when we should be figuring out how to get our parents back."

I know my tone is wrong, but I cannot stop myself. TJ's face is drained completely now, but he doesn't look at me. He keeps his gaze focused on Leon who's unreadable eyes are staring deeper into my own.

Leon sighs and crosses his strong and scarred arms across his chest. The ornate tattoo shines a little in the overhead lights. I can see now the lines are jagged and curved all at once.

"You don't even know who you are and you call me a stranger?" He says glancing me up and down with his lips curled with slight disgust. I felt my face grow hot with anger.

"You don't even know that whatever is happening is bigger than you or even your dear parents. Do you?" He says with a slight sneer.

I curl my hands at my sides and chew the inside of my cheek.

"I asked you a question, girl." Leon's voice says now sharper and cold.

"No. Why don't you tell me?" I say through my gritted teeth.

"Are you asking me a question?" Leon says raising an eyebrow toward me. "What makes you think you can question me?"

TJ shakes his head and opens his mouth to say "Forgive my sister, sir. She's—

"Was I speaking to you, boy?" Leon says icily without looking at my brother.

"No sir." TJ says. I watch him press his lips tightly and for a moment I wonder if he's going to cry.

Leon leans his curly head toward me and waits. He still wants me to answer his question.

"No, I suppose I cannot." I say in a low growl. My face is flushed now and my body is tenser than I ever could have imagined it could be.

"You suppose?" Leon says picking at his nails.

"No. I cannot question you." I say slowly. I want nothing more than to punch him in his face.

"If you want to hit me, then let's see you try." Leon says darkly. I feel my eyes grow wide and I recoil a little. How did he know what I was thinking?

He steps back and opens more space between us. He raises his left hand and extends his fingers toward me.

"I'll assume you have experience fighting, then?" He asks his voice stern and still slightly dull in tone.

TJ looks at me and shake his head in fear. His eyes are pleading with me to back down from whatever is happening. But something washes over me that feels white-hot. It fills my lungs and muscles.

I shake my head and say "No I do not."

"Do you still want to hit me?" Leon says still standing still six feet away from me.

"Yes." I growl.

"Then I urge you to try." Leon says evenly. "Let's wager this. If you get one hit on me, no matter how strong or weak, I will get on my knees and call you 'Master'."

I look at my brother who's trembling now. His eyes are glossy and he breathes hard. I shake my head at him and then I look at Leon who's still piercing through me.

"What's the point?" I scathe. "You know I can't hit you, why embarrass me?"

He chuckles mockingly at me and says "I do know that you can't hit me. But I wonder has it occurred to you that you don't really know if you can hit me or not."

I stare at him and confusion racks my brain along with the anger filling my veins. I didn't know what he meant, nor did I care to figure it out.

He stands sternly in front of me with his hand outstretched and I think about backing down and apologizing. I think about getting on my knees and begging for forgiveness. But whatever is surging through me is erasing that thought. It is telling me that I can do anything.

As I walk forward I hear TJ gasp, but I ignore him. He can be afraid if wants to. My parents aren't the type to back down and neither am I. Even though I've never fought, Dad gave me a few tips growing up and I've seen him hit his punching bag in the garage enough times.

I feel Leon's heat surge over me and mix with fire under my skin. I crouch in a battle stance and put my hands up in fists to my face.

"Your form is already wrong, girl." He mocks rolling his eyes slightly. I notice his body weight shift and relax and I see my chance. He's underestimating me. Too bad for him.

I lunge out with my right fist toward his face, but I hit nothing but empty air. I see nothing but the glossy wooden floors in front of me and the blank doors ahead. I spin on my heel and prepare to protect my body but the only person behind me is TJ who is gasping for breaths. I look to the right of me and find nothing. Then I turn left and there is nothing.

"You know, if you always go for the obvious strike, you'll probably die right then." Comes a dull and deep voice in front of me. I spin and Leon is standing with his hands in the pockets of his sweats.

He is bouncing on the balls of his feet and alternates his weight on his toes. I feel the liquid heat pour over me again and I rush him with a scream. I plant my elbow in his stomach, but his palms find me and stop me effortlessly. I glare into his turgid and pretentious eyes and raise my leg to meet his groin. But before I can raise my heel off the ground, he takes a single palm and thrusts me lightly away. The push didn't feel that strong but suddenly an immense and heavy pressure hits my body and I'm soaring through the air. My muscles are on fire and I feel myself yell in pain as I hit the hard ground. TJ calls out to me but he doesn't move.

I don't want his help anyway.

I allow the air to find my lungs again before I sit up slowly and then struggle to stand. My vision seems a little blurry. I shake my head and blink my eyes rapidly to clear the haze. It helps a little. Leon is standing with a smirk on his face and I raise my fists again.

"Perhaps if you—-

But I don't let him finish. I rush him and toss punch after punch near his jaw, stomach, and nose. None of them connect and Leon barely moves an inch. I try to knee him, sweep his ankles, and grab him, but nothing works. The heat under my skin still burns brightly and I think I begin to see red. I imagine seeing my Dad toss a sharp right hook in the punching bag in our garage, but suddenly Leon twists in the air and lands behind me. I turn, but Leon sweeps my ankles with his legs and I fall hard on the ground. My mouth hits the wood and I must have cracked my jaw the way it cries out in pain. I taste coppery blood on tongue when I gasp for air

Leon turns his back to me and sighs tiredly. I look through my sweaty hair that's fallen over my face and see TJ standing there frozen. His face is shock white and he's crying. I felt something sick bubble in my stomach at the sight of his tears.

"You can stop now." Leon says not looking at me. "You have all that strength and power inside you that you don't know how to use and you call me a stranger?"

I breathe deep and angrily on the ground. I want to move, but my body feels heavy and drunk with something debilitating. It is anger, it is hate.

I watch Leon's back hunch and move. He stretches and yawns.

"We have a long way to go with you two. You both have no skill or any muscle. But it is there. It just must be cultivated. As you are right now, you would be good as dead within a day. You'd be no use to your parents this way."

Something bubbles over me again. I find every ounce of strength and energy to raise myself off the ground. I slip off my heavy boot and pull it into my hand. I don't think, I rush at Leon's relaxed and arrogant head with a yell.

But he moves in a surreal blur behind me. His strong hands clasp around my wrist and he squeezes. My boot crumples to the floor and then he yanks my arm behind my back at an unnatural angle.

Excruciating pain beyond anything I've ever felt shoots through my body. I fall to my knees again and scream.

"I said that's enough." Leon's voice comes in a cold drawl.

I cannot speak. He is still pulling my arm and I feel myself scream again. My eyes feel like they'll fall out of their sockets and my tears are streaming out hard. I am slobbering on the glossy floor, choking on my own saliva and breaths.

"A boot? Really?" Leon says amused. I am certain at this rate, he will dislocate my arm or break it.

TJ's voice shoots through the air pleadingly.

"Please, please stop it. Please let my sister go. She's sorry. Please, sir. Please."

Leon looks at him lazily and says "I'm not sure."

He pulls harder and I cry out "Please! I'm sorry. I'm sorry, please forgive me!"

Leon looks down at me coldly and I feel my heart pound through my chest. I will surely die on this floor. If not from Leon's iron grip, but from a heart attack.

TJ is sobbing now. "Please. Please."

Leon looks at him and says "Give me your arm instead, boy."

TJ stiffens and I watch him. My brother looks down at me through his tears. I feel the pain shoot through my teeth as I grit them.

I watch TJ move forward slowly and I call out to him. "No TJ, no!"

"Quiet." Leon says squeezing my arm tighter. I scream. My bones are surely dust now.

TJ halts in the middle of the floor and looks down at me with a gasp and sob. He walks in front of Leon and I stare at his boots. His legs are shaking as I look up to see him extend his right arm to Leon.

Leon looks down at it and pauses. He looks down at me and then he releases me. He turns away from both of us. I grab my wrist and arm with my left hand and gasp for air. I choke hard and cough on the floor. My eyes are still streaming and they are burning. TJ crouches next to me and his hands hover over my body. He is wiping his own tears quickly and watching me.

Leon turns his head toward us and says icily "You'd mind your attitude, girl. To me and your brother. You don't deserve his arm."

TJ looks curiously through glossy, puffy, red eyes at him and then at me curiously. I avoid his gaze and stare at the tall white ceiling above me.

He's right. TJ was going to trade places with me and I didn't deserve it.

"Your bodies don't belong to you while you're here. Not until you learn to understand them and harness their abilities." Leon's voice cuts through my fading sobs. "Until you can own them, I will own them. We will begin your training first thing in the morning. I suggest you find a place to sleep now."

He walks through a metal door on the front and disappears down what looks to be a white hallway. I catch a glimpse of identical doors adorning the walls and I wonder where they lead.

TJ helps me sit up and he breathes "Are you alright, Natalie?"

I wipe my tears with my arm and nod silently.

We stand and go gather our bags near the entrance door. TJ looks gingerly at me and says "There must be rooms beyond that door where he went. C'mon."

I follow him silently and watch my distorted reflection in the glossy wooden floor. If I were to see a mirror now, I don't even think I would know the face staring back at me.

Leon's words burn in my chest and in my head.

I do not know myself.

**TILL NEXT CHAPTER. **


	19. Chapter 19

**Sorry for the delays folks. Here's another chapter with some glimpses of TJ and Natalie's training. Sorry for the typos. Leave me a review with your thoughts. **

**Happy reading. **

Chapter 19

Natalie

I am woken out of my sleep to a loud pang of metal. It is sharp and vibrates hard around my head, making my teeth clench as I cup my hands over my ears. A bright light comes on above me and I feel my eyes strain with irritation. I close them shut and try to roll over on my stomach. Maybe Mom will let me sleep five more minutes. Then I realize I am not home.

I jolt awake and sit up at the sound of the deep, cold drawling sound of Leon's voice.

"You have ten minutes to get ready and meet me in dojo."

I had no idea what a dojo was and I looked over at my brother who was sitting up with his sleeping bag up to his waist. TJ's hair was messy one side and flat on the other. His eyes were focused on Leon who stood in front of the doorway of the room we found. He was wearing the same black sweats from last night and now wore a crisp bright white sleeveless shirt. It hung loosely around his sturdy and muscular chest.

He leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed and his ornate tattoo on his left arm seemed shiny. I watched his dark honey gaze focus blankly on me and I immediately began motioning to get ready.

"I suggest you don't tarry." Leon says turning his back to us. "We have much to do, and if you're late, I will be very disappointed."

He disappears in a blink of an eye and I wonder how could seemingly vanish into air. I wondered if I or my brother could move that fast. I was a little afraid to find out.

I watch TJ fold his sleeping bag neatly and stack in the corner of the small empty room we found to sleep in. It was square with four white walls and gray carpet that had a big mildew stain in the middle. We tried to sleep away from it, but still the smell was slightly revolting. There were many other rooms in the facility, but after last night we found the first empty one that wasn't filled with broken furniture, old empty boxes, or other objects. We didn't say much to each other when we unpacked our sleeping bags. Nor did I have much to say.

My arm was still throbbing in pain from Leon's unbreakable death grip when I moved it. I thought maybe it could be sprained, but I could still flex it too much for that. I'll never forget that pain shooting through my body. I also knew that Amar was right to not try Leon. He showed me mercy last night and only because of my brother. My brother who I felt so disgusted with at his display of fear and begging for my release. I owed my arm and my life to him.

"Hey TJ." I began slowly pulling on a pair of gray sweats. "Thanks for…you know…last night."

My brother slips off his shirt and I watch the ornate faction tattoos move under his meek muscles. He is so skinny I can see his spine through his pale skin.

"Don't mention it." He says slipping on a dark red t-shirt then pulling on his own sweats. I watch him for a few more seconds as he slips his feet into his black boots. TJ takes a white wash cloth, a bar of green soap, his toothbrush and a small tube of toothpaste in his two hands. He walks out of the room and across the hall to the bathroom we found last night. It had no shower, but the sink and toilet worked just fine. I'm sure there was a bathroom with everything in it around here though.

I check my watch and see we have six minutes before we have to meet Leon in the main entrance or 'dojo' as he called it. I pulled on my black boots and think about how stupid I was to try to attack someone like Leon with one. I know I wasn't going to try that again.

TJ came back within a minute and I quickly went into the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. I didn't look at myself in the grimy, cracked mirror as I freshened up, but I felt horrible so I must have looked it as well. My eyes felt puffy and my skin felt tight around my forehead. I splash cold water several times on my face, letting the coolness drip my cheeks, chin, and neck. I gripped the sides of the yellow porcelain sink and tried to breathe.

But a knock came on the door that broke my concentration. I call out "What?"

"We've got a little less than two minutes, are you done?" TJ's worried voice comes muffled through the thick wooden door.

"Yes, I'm coming out now." I say. I keep my eyes focused on the sink drain and watch the fading streams of water circle it. I force myself to move and then I open the door.

When we arrive back inside the entrance space, Leon is sitting in the middle of the floor with his eyes closed. His large hands are relaxed on his knees and I see his chest undulate calmly as he breathes deeply. I look at TJ who looks at me nervously. I'm not sure if we should disturb him.

We move a little closer to him, but still keep our relative distance. His nose flares slightly and I cringe. But then I realize he is taking a deep inhale through his nostrils. He exhales through his mouth slowly. The sound of it is almost like a deep echoing hiss and I feel my goosebumps form on my skin. The air seems to get heavier and hotter as well.

He inhales once more and exhales again slower than before. Then he pops his eyes open at pierces through us.

"Glad you made it on time." Leon says standing up. "From now on, I want you to be awake and present here before I am. You will have warm ups and exercises before we getting started with technique."

My brother and I glance quickly at each other. How were we supposed to know what time he woke up? What kind of warm ups would we be doing? Hopefully not walking across a slate of super heated metal or something crazy like that.

"Sir." TJ begins carefully. "Respectfully if I may ask, what time do you wake up?"

I bite my lower lip and tighten my toes in my boots. Leon sighs and says "That's for you to figure out. Sometimes I may get up before the sun, sometimes a little after. sometimes I may not sleep at all. Which means of course, you don't sleep either."

I shake my head a little and Leon smirks at me.

"I told you, your bodies don't belong to you here. Not yet." Leon said.

"But what if we need to use the bathroom?" I quickly ask. I feel as if that's a valid question.

Leon stares dully at me for a moment. He says nothing as his lips press into a tight line. I feel myself tense and step back a few inches. My shoulder tense with the ghost of pain from last night. I grip it tightly with my left hand.

He stares at me for a few more seconds, then eventually turns around to face the entrance doors.

"Follow me. We have a lot to cover today."

He leaves out of the metal doors and we quickly follow him. We cross the atrium and back into the narrow hallway that leads to the three stone tunnels. The tunnels and pathways are now lit with small halogen lights that adorn the walls and earthy ceilings. I didn't notice them last night in the dark. Where was the power source down here?

Leon walks ahead of us with his arms swinging casually at his sides. His body is both strange and beautiful in the way it moves. His steps are careful, graceful, yet powerful and strong.

My brother is stern-faced and quietly observing his surroundings. I see his bright eyes take in the curves and trace the details of the tunnel we walk through. I wouldn't be surprised if he sketched them when we got free time. If we got free time, that is. The way Leon makes it seem, our bodies will never know comfort or rest while we're here. I shiver from the thought and the strange chill that suddenly drapes over my shoulders. I can feel goosebumps form on my arms and legs.

I also hear something as we walk further along the path. It sounds like something rushing against the stone around us. It gets louder as we get closer to a pair of double metal doors that are rusted on the handles. Leon stops and both TJ and I immediately halt a few feet behind him. He turns around to both of us slowly. He crosses his arms behind his back and bounces a little on the balls of his feet.

"So." He begins looking between us both. "Every morning, you two will come to this room and begin your morning exercises. I have shown you the path. I hope you've remembered it."

I try to make mental notes of the tunnel. I glance quickly at the walls around me and see signs with chipped or faded paint. Some are hard to read and others are easier. But I see the words "Irrigation System" in several of them, which explains the crashing, rushing sound behind the metal doors. This must be where the facility's water supply is. How it is still active, I do not know.

Leon turns back away from us and steps up the small metal stairs leading toward the door. We follow behind him once more and then he opens the doors. He walks in and the doors almost slam in TJ's face but he caught it with his hand. I felt a twinge of annoyance at Leon's inconsideration, but I look at my brother's face which looks blank. I wish he would get angry sometimes.

He holds the door open for me and I thank him with a nod. Once we're both inside the room we go stand next to Leon who's facing a giant glass window. As we get closer we see a massive room with three giant pipes spewing greenish water into separate giant pools. I look down and try to see the bottoms of them, but it is too dark. TJ gasps softly as he moves across the glass window.

"How are these still running?" He asks aloud to no one in particular.

Leon says "When they built this facility during the war, they developed this irrigation system by funneling water from Lake Michigan. It recycles the water in a non-stop cycle. As the water pours out into the pools, it is separated into three functions. The first is for drinking, bathing, and other uses. The second for sewage. The last one helps power certain parts of the facility. It was shut down, but I finally figure out how to turn it back on."

"You restored it?" I ask incredulously. "But how, the lake is still dried up for the most part?"

Leon stares out the window. He turns to me and says "You can always find the elements if you look hard enough."

He turns away from me and walks toward another set of doors on the right of the room.

"Come now." He says sternly leaving out. I hear his footsteps begin down a staircase and I look at my brother who's still enthralled with the water. I tug on his arm a little to remind him of where we're at. He grimaces at me and we follow Leon quickly out of the doors. We descend down a curving set of metal steps that turns into a long, black bridge between two of the giant water pipes. The water is loud and pounds in my ears. I feel the frigid breeze of it as it rushes on both sides of me. I cover my ears a little and walk forward with TJ who's shivering.

As we walk down the bridge, Leon is standing facing the last pool near the back of the room. He is perfectly still as if he doesn't notice the giant, continuous stream of water pounding in front of him. I look down and see at his feet are four large buckets. They are attached by a hook on thick braided nylon ropes that are tied to the railings.

TJ and I walk nervously over to Leon who stares at us before picking up a bucket near his right foot. He holds it up to us, saying nothing, and then tosses it into the deep pool of water in front of him. We watch him as he begins to pull the rope up. His muscles are tense as he switches arms in deft intervals. After quick seconds the bucket reappears teetering on the hook and full of water. Leon leans and pulls the bucket up to him and onto the floor, sloshing water that rushes the ground we stand on.

He unhooks the bucket and turns to another empty bucket in front of him. He sends it flying over the railing and then it is soon full of water as well. I look at TJ who stares back at me with his eyebrows furrowed and jaw tense. Leon does not speak as he picks the two heavy, water filled buckets up with his hands. I watch his shoulder muscles contract and clench when he turns around. He begins to walk quickly across the bridge away from us toward an opening in front of him flooded with dim light. My brother and I follow him quickly to see Leon standing in front of a very long staircase. I look to my left and see two elevators who's doors are missing. Then it comes to me.

"You want us…to carry water…up there?" I ask softly behind Leon who's balancing the two water buckets calmly in his strong hands.

"Yes I do." He says emotionless. Then he begins walking up the stairs. He moves quickly, but more carefully this time. I see the buckets of water jump and jiggle with the bounce of his steps, but none spills. I look at TJ who says nothing but begins to follow behind Leon. I hear the rush of water behind me and I turn to look at it once more before climbing the stairs.

I count sixty-five steps before I lose count and feel my shins ache. My toes are burning and my knees are stiff as we climb higher and higher. My throat feels dry and my stomach groans. I haven't eaten anything since last night and now it's all I can think about.

My chest burns as we walk up several more stairs. I feel the sweat gather in a crown of beads on my forehead, my arms, palms, and back. I look over at TJ who's dark blonde hair is matted and wet over his brow. His mouth hangs open as he breaths heavy gasps and he wipes his face with the back of his hand. I look ahead at Leon who's balancing the buckets of heavy water easily in his arms. He is three steps ahead of us and then to my relief, I see a opening flooded with light in front of him.

As he walks up the final two steps, he turns around to us. His inscrutable face and gaze narrows slightly when we reach the top. I have to lean against the wall to catch my breath. My hair is dripping with sweat and down my face. The air up here seems thin, which makes my lungs burn and my head spin slightly. I look over at TJ who's crouched on the ground with his hands on the back of his head. His face is flushed and clammy as he gasps for air.

Leon shakes his head and says tersely "You all tire before you even begin. How disappointing."

I have to stop myself from glaring up at him so I curl my fists tightly against my thighs. I chew my cheek and try to take deep breaths.

"Good. You're controlling your temper, girl." Leon says in a small, derided tone.

This time I do look at him, unsure of how my eyes appear, but he is walking inside the opening in front of him. TJ glances at me and rises out of his crouch. He goes forward and I follow him.

We are back inside the tunnels, but suspended over them on a metal bridge with broken railings. The light that floods the space comes from up above and I realize it is sunlight. Soft and just awakening. It is still too early for it to completely immerse the rest of the tunnels below, but I imagine as the day progresses the place will be full of it. I peer up into it and squint. There are giant vent covers with metal bars obscured in the light. I could see small moths and other insects fluttering in and out. As I looked, I could smell the faint scent of grass, humid air, and possibly rain dancing in the air.

"If you're so interested in what's above you, perhaps you should go back up." Came a sharp voice breaking my concentration.

I jumped and looked at Leon who was on the other end of the bridge with my brother who stared nervously at me. I quickly crossed the bridge to join them. Leon's gaze burned into mine for a few seconds before he turned with the buckets still in hand toward an empty door frame.

We walked inside to a wide room with a concrete floor. It had a stale odor that made my nose crinkle. The walls were bare and unimpressive. In the middle of the floor where two large ceramic bowls on wooden blocks. I looked anxiously at Leon who walked over and sat the buckets of water down in front of them. I moved a little closer to stand in front of them next to my brother who looked confused and still nervous. The same look his face has had all morning.

Leon says nothing, but simply looks up at us. He puts his hands on jutted hips and sighed. He yawned a little and I felt the air suddenly become warmer and heavier around my shoulders.

"Alright then." Leon said beginning to pace in front of the bowls. "Pick up the buckets."

TJ and I look at each other, then walk forward to the individual buckets brimming with the greenish water. I grip the thick, metal handle and barely can left the bucket to my knees off the ground. I tilt slightly and some water sloshes out onto the concrete floor. I expect to be yelled at, but Leon stands still now watching us with a blank stare. TJ has to drop his bucket slowly to the floor to reposition his hands around the handle. He can't really pick it up at all.

"You mean to tell me you can't raise that, boy?" Leon exasperates coldly. TJ shakes his head and says "No sir, I can."

I watch my brother's face flush deep red as his thin arms tremble and shake as he raises the bucket off the ground. It floats only inches off the concrete and water splashes violently on the floor around TJ's ankles. His dark sweats become stained and Leon growls irritably.

"Pour the water into the basins, before you both spill it all over the place!" He snaps at both of us, his eyes now fierce and dangerous.

I struggle to tip the heavy bucket into the large ceramic mouth of the bowl. The water splashes and circles around until it is filled to the brim. There is still half of the water left in my bucket when I lean it back. It is much lighter, but still makes my muscles cry out in agitation. I look at TJ who's now dripping in water as he slips and slides in the pool of water around him as he messily pours his now half empty bucket inside the basin. When I look over, his bowl isn't nearly as full as mine, but not by that much. His bucket is also completely empty now.

TJ raises up and holds the bucket in his shaking arms. His face is wet and the muscles in his cheeks are jumping nervously. Leon moves to him in a dark blur. His eyes are so intense as he glares at TJ's face that I think my brother's face will melt. I know he will cry at any moment.

"You have no muscle whatsoever. Are you aware of that?" Leon asks in a frigid drawl.

TJ averts his gaze down slightly and he nods slowly. He lips tremble as he responds "Y-yes sir."

Leon keeps glaring at him and I see his nostrils flare. He asks "Do you want to be strong?"

TJ looks at him quickly and opens his mouth to say something. But then he bites down on his lips and I see his eyes gloss over.

"I asked you, do you want to be strong?" Leon says more darkly.

My brother nods his head curtly and yelps slightly "Yes, sir."

Leon moves away from him a few steps and says "Then you'd do well to waste resources like that anymore. You will be needing them."

TJ nods and says "Understood, sir."

Leon moves back behind the bowls and his intense eyes meet mine. He paces again briefly before he says "Sit. On your knees."

We sit out buckets down and get to our knees in front of the water-filled basins. I shift on my hips to get more comfortable, but the weight and position is already making me ache. We look up at Leon who still walks the floor back and forth. He strokes his chin as he looks up into the ceiling lights overhead.

He clears his throat and says "While you're here to learn about physical combat and your abilities as Resurgent, you will learn that fighting is merely a focus of energy."

Leon pauses and then turns to look down at us. He seems more taller and intimidating than he already is while I'm on the floor.

"As Resurgent, we have the ability to focus and harness our physical energy beyond the limits of other humans. Our muscles define more quickly, our bodies adapt and learn easier than most, and we must understand that power to properly manipulate it. You all have both experienced what it's like to have the enhanced strength. Your bodies will respond to danger and adapt accordingly. You may find you can do things you thought you never could, move faster than can imagine, or even see, hear, touch, taste, or smell things that others may be unaware of."

I raise my eyebrow at him and he smirks at me. "Don't tell me you're still skeptical, girl. After all Amar tells me your eyes are special."

I cringe slightly when I remember the images I saw of my brother's fears. How I caused it. I didn't want to know what that power was. It disgusted me.

"The first step to harnessing your abilities, is to not be afraid of them. They are you." Leon says sternly.

TJ looks at him and asks "But how when we don't even know what they are?"

Leon chuckles softly and says "You will know soon enough. No more questions. Now look at the water in front of you."

I peer down inside my basin at the brimming water that reflects my face. There are slightly dark circles under my eyes and my cheeks look a little sallow. My forehead is wrinkled and creased. I see my hair is wild, unkept, and dirty. Where I used to see my mother and some of my father, I see a stranger. I do not know this girl who stares at me. She frightens me and angers me. She is weak.

The water ripples out suddenly and I gasp a little. I look up at Leon who eyes me curiously. He walks in the middle behind the basins and he says "You will learn to call upon your strength outside of being placed in a dangerous situation. You must learn how to harness it and be its master, not let it master you. Also, you must learn how use your enemies' strength against them."

He stands with his feet planted firmly on the ground and his hands behind his back.

"Hit the water. Alternating between your palms until the water is gone." Leon says slowly.

I suppress a snort inside my mouth. This is what we walked all this way for? I feel intense heat form on my face and I look up to see Leon's blank, but dangerous look leer into my skull. I must be careful with my thoughts it seems.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Leon snaps at both of us icily. I look over at TJ who's still soaked place his left palm on the surface of the water. I mirror him, using my right hand. The water is freezing and I recoil my hand back instantly. The skin on my palm stings with bitter cold and I rub it against my sweatpants.

"It is the water that should fear your touch." Leon says sharply. "Not the other way around."

I look over at TJ who's taken his hand away from the water as well. Leon looms over us, his face stony and eyes ablaze. His nostrils flare again back and forth as I feel the air once more grow unusually warm and heavy.

I place my palm back over the basin, the cold engulfs my skin before it even touches the water. TJ slowly brings his own hand back as well when I look at the corner of my eye.

"Hit the water." Leon says.

I bring my palm down as hard as I can against the pool of gelid water. It makes a smacking thud as water splashes over the brim. My hand stings with the impact and temperature.

"Again!" Leon's deep boom resounds throughout the space. "Harder, this time. Don't stop."

I smack my hand down into the water. My thrust springs back slightly against the surface as more water splashes on the floor. I feel it spray my shirt and sweats with extreme coolness and I can't help but shiver.

My teeth clench together as I hit the water with my other palm. Over and over with both hands. I feel my hands burn from the water and I see my skin has turned violent red. TJ grunts as he hits the water, hesitating between each blow. His face is contorted, focused, and florid.

Leon watches us hawkishly and stands completely still with his arms folded. I see the intricate black ink on his forearm glisten under the lights. His scars almost look leathery from this distance. They are long, narrow, and curve in perfect lines on his skin.

"Don't slow down your pace, keep going." He speaks blankly.

The water is nearly gone out of our bowls and now my arms reach into the mouth completely. I hit the now shallow pool three more times, ending on my right hand before the water is gone. I am drenched and freezing as I look up at Leon who's focus is still on my brother.

I watch him and see his bowl almost to the middle. His thrusts are too slow and careful. Leon walks over and stands in front of him. TJ stops suddenly and looks up.

"Did I say stop?" Leon asks acidly.

TJ shakes his head stiffly and pants for air. He thrusts at the water again with his right palm, sending water sloshing down his front. His wet shirt clings to his scrawny chest and becomes more damp as he continues.

He doesn't finish until about ten more minutes. I feel my knees ache from the pressure of sitting on them too long. My arms are burning along with my palms that I keep trying to warm by wiping them on my pants. It doesn't really help. The cold is still so strong under my skin and in the bones of my fingers.

Leon shakes his slowly disapprovingly and sighs at TJ.

"You move this slow, boy, and you might as well let the DGD capture you."

TJ looks down into his empty basin and breathes hard. I see him clench his fists on his thighs and the muscles in his jaw stiffen.

"Can't even allow yourself to hit a bowl of water. What do you expect to be able to do with the people who captured your parents?" Leon mocks quietly.

My brother shifts slightly on his knees and I see his shoulders tremble. There is something rising in him now that I rarely, if ever have seen. Anger.

Leon must notice this as well because he leans down closer to him with his eyebrow raised.

"Your diminutive anger amuses me." He derides slowly. "Perhaps if you put it in your fists, instead of your cheek, it could grow."

Leon stands up straight and TJ still looks down into the empty basin. His eyes are narrowed and dark. For a second I think I see the basin in front of him tremble slightly.

"You all will do this every morning. Two buckets of water each. You will carry it from the irrigation system, up the stairs, and begin." Leon says facing the door we came in at. "I want it done before we begin for the day. If it is not complete, along with your other exercises you will get this week, then you will not learn what I have to teach you that day. If you continuously neglect this task or any others, you will leave here and find your way back to Amar."

I look at him and then at my brother. I swallow hard when I imagine the long staircase we walked up. I was exhausted without even having any buckets to carry. How was I going to do that? How would TJ?

Leon spins on his heel back toward us and says "You will learn how to focus your strength and speed first. Then we will focus on form and technique. However long we get the latter, is completely up to you. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir." TJ and I say in sharp unison.

He smiles softly and says "Good. Now grab your buckets and go back for water. I will be waiting for you in the dojo when you're done here."

He disappears before I can blink. I listen for his footsteps on the metal bridge but I hear nothing but faint rushing water in the distance.

I look at TJ who watches the opening expressionless. His hair is wet and flat against his head. I see his palms are still bright red and trembling.

I rise and say "I can carry your bucket for you."

He says nothing and picks up his bucket, cringing a little when his palms touch the handle. My brother leaves out the room silently and heads back across the bridge. I get a glimpse of his once bright eyes now dark and full of something I cannot connect to.

This training may break our bodies. But I had a looming feeling, it would break our minds as well.

I see my brother's changing already.

I am afraid of it.

Hitting water every morning before the sun fully rose was not even the worst of our exercises. In fact, it was the most mild of them all.

The next couple of mornings after we did the water basin exercise, Leon directed us to a room down an unmarked tunnel full of sandbags around the walls. The middle of the floor was roped off into a big square full of rough sand that we had to walk around at least two-hundred times. The sand went up to our ankles as Leon directed us how to step firmly with each foot in front of the other. It curdled and cut between my toes as I dug deeper into the grainy sand with my toes and heel. I felt my skin scratch and tear with each grunt I made.

My brother was always ahead of me stepping firmly, putting his weight on his knees as he lunged with the form Leon taught us. When we would get done in the sand, he would make us move the sandbags on the wall to the other side. They were extremely heavy and were as big as potato sacks. My shoulders screamed in pain after each bag thrown over them.

We left the room and found ourselves another room, this time full of wooden slates and bricks. The first day we got there, our palms aching from the frigid water, our toes bleeding from the coarse sand, and shoulders tight from the sandbags, Leon stood in front of a relatively thick wood block mounted between two stands.

I hobbled over to stand with my brother who bounced slightly on his heels. I looked down at saw his bleeding toes still slightly covered in sand. We tried to wash them off before Leon came and got us, but we barely had enough time. I looked down at on a pile of wood blocks were a plate of small banana nut, blueberry, and chocolate muffins. They seemed homemade and I could see wisps of steam rising from them. Next to them were two large bottles of water and smaller bottles of thick and pulpy juice.

"Eat." Leon commanded without looking at us. We didn't have to think about his directions. My brother and I devoured the plate of muffins within five minutes. I unscrewed the cap on the water bottle and drained it to its middle. I wiped the crumbs on my sandy and damp clothes. My stomach pained for more.

"Drink the juice. It will fill you up." Leon said adjusting the thick wooden slate between the stands. I took it into my hands and uncapped it. It was pink and speckled with dark pulp. I sniffed it hesitantly. It smelled of cranberries, avocado, apples, and something leafy.

I tried to drink it in one gulp, but the bitterness of the cranberries and something strong like garlic gags me. I sputter and choke slightly I struggle to swallow the frothy, chunky brew. It goes down and my throat burns a little. I shake my head to get try to rid myself of the taste, but it doesn't escape me easily. When I turn to TJ, his bottle of juice is completely gone, crushed in his hand. His face is slightly contorted and his lips are pressed into a tight line.

"Your stomach seems strong at least anyway, boy." Leon says eying TJ curiously. He looks at me and the juice in my hand. His eyes examine my face sternly. I swallow hard and feel my throat still slightly ablaze from the swig I just drank. I don't think, I tilt the bottle to my mouth and down the rest of the liquid quickly. I want to cough and spit once I am done.

Leon grins a little and says "That will keep you energized until lunch. Now come."

We turn and face him as he stands in front of the wooden board. I feel the aches in my body as I we wait, my neck stiff and sore as I rub it gingerly.

Leon look at us, then at the suspended wood. He says "You will continue to condition and strengthen your bodies until you can summon your abilities at will."

We nod at behind him. TJ coughs a little into his palm and I see his eyes are watering. The strange concoction we just drank did get to him.

Leon touches the wood softly with his long fingers. He glides his fingertips gently over the wood and pauses in the middle. The wood is mahogany colored with earthy grooves on it the surface. It is chunky and sturdy looking.

What comes next makes me jump.

Leon curls his fist up in rapid motion and thrusts it through the wood block. He punches through it with a sickening crack and keeps his arm extended through the hole he made. I'm not sure how many knuckles or bones he may just broken, but I prepare myself to see the blood.

He retracts his arm out of the split and open wooden slate slowly. When he turns to us, his arm and fist are perfectly intact.

I cannot help but gasp and cup my mouth with my palm. TJ is shakes his head nervously while gaping wide-eyed at the board with the now gaping hole.

Leon says nothing and goes toward his left to roll two hovering boards on stands out. The wood on them is significantly thinner than the one he just punched through, but it is still thick enough for me to know it cannot be easily broken. Not be me anyway.

Leon raises his open palm toward us and asks "Now, can you all do that?"

I look at the boards in front of me wildly and then at Leon. He is a lunatic.

"Well?!" He snaps irritably. I jump again and shake my head stiffly along with my brothers.

"How do you know?" He asks again in his usual deep drawl.

We say nothing. I look at my cracked and cut feet still covered in light sand. The floor underneath them is cold and clammy.

"Well…we don't know, sir. But I'm not sure." TJ mumbles.

"Then you don't know then do you!" Leon snaps again loudly making us both shift our gazes downward.

Leon wheels the boards in front of us and stands between them. We look slowly up at him in his toffee bright eyes that are narrowed. He raises his left fist up at us and says "Since your bodies are in my possession, I want them strong. I want them focused and sharp."

He brings his fingertips from both hands lightly to the middle of our chests. I recoil and tense up at his touch. His cinnamon skin almost radiates a brewing intense heat through my shirt.

"What if the person, who had your parents was this close to you?" He says darting his eyes back and forth between us slowly. "Would you push them in hopes of them letting your parents go? Or would you—he turns in a dark blur toward the boards behind him and punches through another one with a loud snap—-punch right through them?"

He doesn't give us time to answer, nor do I think he wants one. He walks toward the door and pauses against the frame. We turn to him and he looks at us fiercely.

"Make your arm and strength belong to you. I will come collect you both later. Now begin." He says with a final snap in his tone. Leon vanishes again and we are left alone in the room full of wooden boards and slates.

My board in front of me has the large imprint of Leon's fist through it, but it is still wide enough for me to make another one. I turn to TJ who's face is pure white and sweaty. He turns to his own light wooden board. As he raises a shaky hand toward it, I see his fingers tremble and slip against the surface. I almost don't recognize him as he curls his hand into a fist.

Then he hits the board with a sharp thud. He hits it again and again. He stops as his knuckles turn from pink to angry red. I hear his gasp of pain before he begins hitting the board again.

I turn to my own and look at the wood. I try to image the body of our parent's captors in front of me. I try to see the grey and yellow uniform that destroyed my home. I feel the hot anger begin to surface in me.

I hit the wood. I hit with everything I have. I hit it until I feel the skin of my knuckles begin to scrape and peel.

I hit the wood. I hit it as my blood smears across the wood.

I imagine my parents' blood running on the floor in a lab somewhere. Somewhere I need to be strong enough to enter.

I hit the wood. My brother hits the wood. I see his blood paint across the panel. He doesn't stop.

Soon we find a rhythm in our blows and our cries. I wonder if he is thinking the same thing I am. I wonder if he is feeling what I am feeling.

The need. The desire now. To be strong.

To make our strength belong to us.

**I watched some of my favorite martial art films to get some inspiration, i'm sure some of you all may be able to tell. TJ's viewpoint next. The end of the memory flashbacks are near! **


	20. Chapter 20

**enjoy. leave a review. sorry for typos. thanks for all the support. **

Chapter 20

TJ

I am not sure how long my sister and I train with Leon. The days have no hours or minutes, just moments that are long, brief, or seemingly endless. We continue our morning exercises until the pain of the grainy sand under my toes, the sting of frigid water on my palms, and hard wood on my knuckles becomes desensitized. Perhaps that's what Leon wants. Us to be able to bear pain.

We would train all day and afternoon, even late at night, only breaking to eat or use the restroom. We eat meals mostly comprised of raw vegetables and very lean meat or fish. Leon makes us eat a lot of fish. It is usually lightly seasoned with salt, pepper, and some other hot spice that was piquant and savory. At every meal there is always a large cast-iron pot with steamed brown rice. There wasn't much variety, but I didn't complain. Nor did I think I could. Besides I was grateful the moments where I didn't have to punch something or lift heavy sandbags.

Leon taught us more about our bodies and how they adapt easier than most humans. I did notice that every morning, the cuts on my knuckles and toes seemed to heal rather quickly. I also noticed that carrying heavy buckets of water got easier the more I did it. When I showered the other day, I peered in one of the few mirrors that wasn't broken or smashed in the facility.

My shoulders seemed broader. My legs were more defined as well as my arms. My chest looked heavier and sinewy. But only a little bit. I was still flimsy and pasty all over.

I noticed my sister's body begin to shift as well. Her long arms were stronger and her blooming curves were being replaced by tight muscles. It didn't make sense though. Although I wasn't able to keep count really of the days and time, we couldn't have been here for more than two or three weeks. Nobody's body developed that quickly.

Leon took us down in lower tunnels that were beyond the three main ones in the entrance on certain days. Inside them were rooms with huge spaces and various landscapes. One of them had a big race track that circled around the entire room. We ran it everyday after we got done with punching wood. Leon placed heavy weighted vests on my sister and I. The first time I had to wear it and run, I passed out within ten minutes. Now I barely feel it at all when I run.

We also had to clean the wooden floors of the facility on certain days. Although I had no calendar, I knew that this task came at least two days during the week. We'd scrub the dojo floors on our hands and knees with thick brushes Leon gave us. My back ached and throbbed after we finished.

There were other rooms where we learned how to manipulate and heighten our reflexes. One of them had metal pillars of different height we had to climb and jump from. I fell a lot and so did Natalie. But Leon didn't allow us to stop for pain. We kept the weighted vests on, but now Leon made us put ankle and wrist weights on too. I was worried that all the pressure would destroy our joints, but apparently our bodies could withstand a lot of things other people couldn't. He made sure we tested just how much they did.

To Leon there were no such thing as limits. He told us if we found one in ourselves, then it was up to us to push past them. I didn't know how to do that. I tried to be strong, not cry out when my knuckles split against the stiff wood, when my legs burned from the endless running, or when my chest felt like it would collapse on itself. I didn't see the point of trying to push past my limits when they were immovable.

I could tell my sister was getting frustrated with the cycle of training we were doing. She struggled so much every day to keep her temper under control. Leon's snide and sometimes cruel remarks or criticisms to our progress were hurtful. Even my fear of him started being replaced by anger. We weren't even learning how to fight yet, which was the most infuriating part.

I had to force myself to think about my parents. Training had consumed every part of me, not just physically. Whenever Natalie and I would be free to relax or at meals, they would float into my mind. Something bitter and sour filled my stomach when I thought about what the DGD could be potentially doing to them. They could be mutilating them or removing their limbs. They could be dead right now and I wouldn't even know it. Or be able to do anything about it.

"That's it!" Natalie says throwing a sandbag down hard on the floor. It makes a heavy thud against the concrete and the room shakes a little. I look at her nervously and see her face is flushed angry red. Her nostrils are flared and her fists are clenched.

"I'm not moving anymore damn sandbags! I'm not walking in any more sand! I'm not carrying anymore water—-

"Is there a problem?" Comes a dark, deep voice from behind me. I freeze and feel my sweat drip down my forehead. I feel Leon's strange body heat press into my back, but I know he's at least a few feet away from me by the door.

Natalie turns to him, her eyes full of nerves and fire, and says "I'm not doing this anymore. We've been doing the same thing over and over for weeks now. This is not learning how to fight. These are chores!"

I say nothing but I completely agree with my sister. For once. But I know that her insolence will not go over well with Leon. She's been trying her best to keep her anger in check, but now I see it about to explode.

Leon walks past me gracefully to stand in between us. His usual all black clothes comprised of a sleeveless shirt and sweats were present just like they always were. I watch his strong body stand sternly with his arms folded behind his back. He shifted his head back and forth between us. His eyes were cold and blank, but always had a hidden warmth to me deep behind them. I thought, maybe in another life, he could have been a very kind man.

"So you don't like my training, do you?" Leon asks softly.

My sister nods her head and says "I just don't think it's fair you haven't taught us anything real yet! Our parents—-

She chokes a little when she speaks about them. Her eyes gloss over a little.

"Are perfectly fine." Leon says slowly as he pursed his lips into a tight line.

"How would you know?" Natalie almost scathes. I want to tell her to watch her tone but I know it's too late. "You don't know what that DGD is doing to them!"

Leon sighs irritably and in one quick motion he pulls out a folded piece of paper from his pocket. He unfolds it and glares at Natalie darkly. Then he turns to me and holds out the paper to me.

I walk slowly over to him to grab it. It is a small, square sheet of memo paper. There's quick, messy handwriting that covers it, but I can read it all the same. I read aloud

TJ and Natalie,

Your parents are fine. Trust me. They are safe. For now anyway. Stay where you're at. Keep training. We are doing what we can up here. The DGD is on the move. The city may fall into their hands. We are trying to stop it. I will send another update soon.

P.S. I hope your mouths haven't gotten your eyes snatched out of your head or worse, killed.

Amar.

I glanced over it two more times and then looked up at Leon and Natalie. Leon was still standing still between us and I saw my sister's face contorted with confusion and lingering anger.

"So now you know they're safe. You can continue." Leon says plainly.

Natalie shakes her head and says "No. Not until you teach us how to fight."

Leon says nothing. He walks past me again and faces the door. "You will continue or you can leave."

He disappears in a dark flash leaving us in the sand room again. Natalie huffs and wipes sand off her sweats. She motions toward the door and says "Then we're leaving. Come on TJ."

I stand still and look down at my bloody and cracked toes. As much as I want to leave, it wouldn't be smart. We are safe here.

"No." I mumble quietly with my back turned to her.

Natalie rounds on me angrily and shouts "What are you saying? You want to stay here with this lunatic, breaking our knuckles against wood blocks, climbing columns, scrubbing floors. That's not going to save our parents! We'll find another way. Now come!"

I round on her this time with my fist clenched tight against my sides. I look at her angry wide eyes and face.

"We can't leave. If we go up there, who knows what'll happen. We are safe here. We need to keep training. You heard Amar."

Natalie scoffs and rolls her eyes. She folds her arms that are bruised purple and green across her chest.

"You're so damn gullible, TJ. You really think Amar sent that? There's no way some unknown government department can take over an entire city. Stuff like that doesn't happen anymore, remember? Our parents, you know the ones that are somewhere probably being sliced and hacked right now, stopped that from happening!"

I say nothing to her. I turn away from her and begin pulling sandbags onto my shoulders. As I feel their pressure on my neck I hear Natalie yell in frustration.

She leaves. I don't know if she will abandon me or not.

All I can think about now is my mother. I think of her blonde hair and bright eyes. Her warm smile in the mornings and evenings. I think about her humming as she crushed pecans in her small, but strong palms, throwing them in a bowl to make cookies or brownies with. She always smelled of warmth and safety.

I think of my father. I see his tall frame, full of muscle doubled over his car in our garage. I see his arms move carefully under the complex hood and around the engine. I see his tattoos, the same one that now trace my back, peek under the collar of his white shirt. He is so focused that he doesn't see me watching. Or at least he doesn't acknowledge me. He smells of sweat, soap, and motor oil. But still, it is like my mother, warm and safe.

Something wet and salty trails into the corners of my mouth. I blink and feel the sandbags on my shoulders again. I toss them down and wipe my face with my arm. My chest feels heavy like I have the weighted vest on again. But when I clutch my chest, I grab nothing but the fabric of my sweat stained shirt. I try to breathe and calm myself, but now I am gasping for short breaths. My knees buckle a little and I slide to the floor. I feel the harsh grains of sand cut into my shins and calves. I wipe my sandy hands on my sweats many times over. They are sweaty and shaking. I press my palms into my eyes.

"No crying. No crying." I mutter to myself. But I cannot stop myself from seeing their faces, happy and laughing. Our house whole again. Us whole again.

I miss them.

I hear a noise, like light footsteps outside the door. It must be my sister. But when I look up slowly I see no one.

I feel strange heat flood the room for only a moment. Then it is gone.

**short chapter. TJ will be taking over for awhile with the memories. hope you enjoy reading! till next time. **


	21. Chapter 21

**enjoy. sorry for typos. leave a review. thanks for everyone following my story! i appreciate you!**

Chapter 21

TJ

I don't see my sister for the rest of the day. When it comes time for lunch she is not present. Leon says nothing to me as he sips water from a plastic bottle. We eat in silence and I move toward my next tasks afterward.

When I am done, sweaty and worn out, I haul myself to the upper levels of the facility. My sister and I found a few bedrooms with bathrooms attached. They had thin beds on short frames that had looked like they hadn't been slept in for a least a few months. Apparently either Leon took tidying up too seriously, or he had visitors here before us. The facility seemed unusually well kept for something that was built during the war. A war that happened before either of my parents were even born.

Leon can't be the only person who's ever lived in the closed underground parts of the city. But the way Amar made it seem, he had only just moved back a several years ago. The way this place was built and looked, he couldn't have done all this renovation, restored and activated the irrigation and power systems, all while keeping a low profile. When I think about it, Amar knew all too well where the place was and he didn't seem at all fazed by the appearance of it. Perhaps it served as something else before it was ever Leon's home.

There are many places in the city that seem blocked off or destroyed still. Even after all the time my parents and their friends spent rebuilding it. It seemed as if, even though the faction system they grew up in was abolished, people still lived somehow according to them. Not just personality wise, but in the city too. I didn't know much about the factions, but I do know the city was separated into areas according to each one.

My parents never talked much about their old homes in the abandoned Abnegation houses I would sometimes see when I rode in Dad's truck. He would look at their plain, square and hollow frames with a prolonging glance each time we drove past them. I know he didn't have too many good memories there with his father's abuse and Grandma Evelyn's abandonment. Even my mother would stare too long at them, a glint of sadness filling her bright eyes when I saw them in the side mirrors on the car. Her parents memory holds pain just like my father's. Different pain. But pain all the same.

But I've always been curious about the Dauntless compound. I listened with my sister as our parents told us stories about it. About the chasm with the water hitting the rocks, the Pit alive with members clad in tight black clothing. The crazy initiation they went through. My mother told us her favorite memory of Dauntless was climbing the ferris wheel at Navy Pier with my father, but also zip lining from the top of the Hancock Building. That was one thing I could live without doing. My father strongly agreed with me.

Although it's been closed for years, some of the surrounding apartments are still there and people live in them. A lot of the old Dauntless who weren't so willingly ready to give up their faction got first choice in living there. If they didn't, they got in them one way or another. I shuddered to think of what exactly they did to get where they wanted, but my father and Uncle Zeke assured me violence wasn't involved. Or at least they hoped.

After I shower and change into a clean set of sweats and a shirt, something I could immediately get up and wear while training tomorrow, I enter the bedroom my sister and I found. Inside are two thin and short bed frames with our individual sleeping bags draped over on them. I hope to see my sister sitting on her bed, but the room is empty. I peer down at the foot of the bed and her bags are still here however. Now I'm worried.

Natalie cannot possibly survive on her own up top, especially without any supplies or resources. Not that she isn't strong or smart, but I'm certain if Amar told us to stay put, then we should obey. Something in his letter set uneasy in me. I remembered I had it and I walked over to the dirty sweats I tossed off in the corner at the foot of my bed. I pulled the small piece of paper out and read it again and again.

The DGD. The city may fall into their hands. We are doing what we can up here. The words that stuck out to me the most.

I laid back on my thin mattress and crinkled the paper between my fingers, folding creases into it's edges. If we've been here for nearly a month now, and the DGD has been able to almost seize the entire city then that probably means no one is probably safe. Whatever they are doing, it has something to do with Resurgents. It has something to with my sister and I.

The girl who cornered me the first day of school is one. I remember her laugh and sweetly sickening voice. She was either there to kill me or take me. But for reason, her mission was interrupted. R5. That's what she said her name was. Probably not her real one.

I try to recall the events from that day. Seeing the van after we left the house that morning with Andrew. Seeing it again after we left school. Then something drops in my stomach and I swallow hard.

The DGD has been watching us for a long time. Longer than I probably think. Amar said that they completely infiltrated my father's job. How could Dad not notice that? If they replaced all of his trusted advisers, employees, and whoever worked for him, how could not tell? Unless the people who worked for him, were never really his to begin with.

I let out a frustrated sigh and the thoughts rush through my head without stopping. Resurgent genes. What's so special about them other than people who have them can do extraordinary things, regular humans can't? The DGD is after more than just my sister and me. I bet anything there are more people in the city like us. They have to be young too. Just like us.

As I turn over on my side, I try to shut my eyes and clear my mind from the racing questions and theories my brain is developing. When I squeeze my eyes tighter I see my cousin Andrew float into my mind. How his body lay eagle spread under the rubble from my home. I don't know how survived it, but apparently he did. Although, Amar and George said his condition was critical. He may be dead.

The thought chokes me up and I feel the warm salty tears begin to form under my closed eyes. I can't imagine Uncle Caleb and Aunt Susan, if they were even still alive, coping with that. I try to image the three of them, alive and somewhat happy. I try to imagine that I will see them and my parents whole and safe again.

I think of my whole family safe again. My sister, Aunt Christina, Grandma Evelyn, Uncle Zeke, and everyone else.

Though the thought may be a fantasy, futile and childish, it gives me peace. Peace I fall asleep to.

My body now is used to not properly sleeping. I'm not sure if I've even had a solid six hours each night I've been here. Leon rarely sleeps and so do I.

I am dragging the buckets of water up the long metal stairs before I know it. The weight of them is apparent, but noticeably lighter. Even still my fingers ache and stiffly cry around the I climb each step carefully and swiftly into the room with the basins, I stop as I get closer. I hear a sound of palms smacking water and splashing onto the concrete floor. I didn't know Leon would be here so early and I didn't think he would be doing the exercise with me.

The idea of him standing over me, his eerie body heat blazing on my skin and his hawkish eyes peering into me, doesn't scare me as much as it used to. When I'm focused on the exercises, I act like he's not in the room. It usually works until he's barking criticism at me or my sister.

My sister.

I looked for her again this morning, expecting her to at least come back for her bags, but she was still nowhere to be found. I wondered if I asked Leon to help me find her, he might consider it. But something in my stomach tells me don't even try it. I feel guilty for not following her. For not trying harder to stop her. But there was something in me between the guilt that felt worse. Relief. I was relieved I didn't have to see her sharp looks or act like I didn't hear her disgusted sighs when I made mistakes. She has always seen me through a half lens. Perhaps it is because I see myself that way.

Being here in this underground facility and away from my parents has made me realize how much I'm not like them. They are natural born fighters. It passed to my sister, but it skipped over me. I can't relish over my fists connecting into someone's body, breaking their bones. I was afraid that even though I was aware of that, there was some part of me that could find enjoyment in it. In the violence.

When I enter the room with the basins to my surprise and shock I see my sister. She's hitting the water with her palms, her face contorted with focus and stress. Her hair is messy and her eyes are slightly bloodshot. I wonder if she slept at all or where she went yesterday. I see Leon towering over her with his strong arms folded across his chest. I feel his strange body heat pulsate toward me. It is raised, but calm as it radiates through the room. I think whatever the odd temperature his body has, is connected to his emotions. But I'm not completely sure.

I say nothing as I lug my water buckets over to my basin. I pour the freezing lucid green water carefully as possible into the bowl. I don't spill any. My arms ache and burn, but the buckets are easy to move now.

I hear my sister's grunts as each palm smacks the surface. She does not acknowledge me. I begin my exercise, thrusting my right hand hard on the water. It splashes over the rim of the bowl and onto my front. I thought I would be used to the cold sting of the water, but it still makes me cringe each time.

"Your sister here, apparently had a change of heart." Leon's slow voice comes from in front of me. "Good thing she turned around from going back up to the surface yesterday, wasn't very nice up there was it, girl?"

Natalie said nothing for a few seconds and I watched the corners of her mouth tremble. She mumbled "No sir, it wasn't."

I stopped hitting the water to look at her. Her face was pale and I realized her eyes weren't red from a lack of sleep. She'd been crying hard. Why?

I looked up at Leon who was glaring at me.

"Continue." He said dully. "When you are finished, why don't you show your brother what you saw, then meet me in the dojo."

He disappeared before I could look up. I looked at Natalie who was still concentrated on the basin in front of her. It was nearly empty.

"Natalie…what did you see?" I asked slowly.

She didn't respond. She sniffed, wiped her nose with the back of her hand, then continued her exercise.

"Natalie—

"I can't tell you, okay! You….just need to see it for yourself." She snapped acidly at me. But there was something else there behind her voice. It was sadness and fear that rattled behind her tone.

I stared at her as she rose up and said "I'm finished. Can you hurry up?"

I turned back to my bowl and finished the water exercise within ten minutes. Normally it would've taken me nearly an hour to get through two buckets.

When we leave the room Natalie takes the adjacent set of stairs next to the main ones that lead back to the dojo. The usual sunlight that floods the tunnels from the skylight is gray, dull, and smells of hot rain. It feels odd. I don't say anything as I follow her up a ladder similar to the one we entered the facility with Amar and George nearly a month ago.

Natalie reaches a hatch above her and pushes up with her left palm hard. It springs open and soft rays of dim light hit my eyes. I can smell soil, rainwater, and something else familiar I can't quite identify. As I hoist myself upward I find myself standing in a small space covered in windows. Some of them are grimy, while others are cracked or broken out completely. The floor is covered in pots with plants, green and leafy. There are small rows with flowers and herbs on my right and on the other side, there are bushes with different colored berries on stems.

"What is this place?" I ask looking at bright plant moist with water droplets. Its leaves are bright and I smell something pungent and sweet coming from it. Then I recognize the smell I couldn't remember. It's basil. Mom kept a small plant on the window sill of our kitchen.

"A subterranean greenhouse." Natalie says walking toward the open doorway of the space. "Leon says it runs on a solar powered system filtered down through the surface."

She leaves and disappears from view slightly. I look around one more time at all the plants before I follow her out on to a earthy, stone floor. The greenhouse is one of three that situated inside and the others have the same glass panels adoring them as well. Just as cracked and broken in certain spots.

Natalie stands still as she looks toward a wall in front of her. I walk up next to her and she points weakly at a ladder a few feet away. I look up at the rusty metal rungs and handles and see it leads to the circular balcony over our heads. I climb the ladder quickly and I look back to see if my sister is behind me. She is still standing and she shakes her head at me. Whatever I am about to see is something that keeps her stationary with fear.

I look around for which way to go and she shouts from below "Your left, there's a lookout post, climb up!"

I see the post on my left and small stairs lead toward a metal crow's nest with a small seat inside. I walk up the steps carefully, they are narrow and slightly slippery. My throat feels dry as I swallow when I sit down. In front of me are a pair of worn and weathered looking scopes. I try to smudge off some of the grime on the lenses with my fingers and peer into them.

Though the image isn't completely clear I can see Chicago. The buildings are shining even in the dull light. I can tell it's cloudy today. I see the train tracks in the distance and even the office building where Dad works. Or used to work.

Everything looks the same. Albeit, darker, but the same. It is also unusually quiet.

I almost break away from the lenses, but then I stop when I get to a corner of the city where Willis Tower is. Or was.

There is a giant spire made of black glass and steel in it's place. It looks almost like crystal in certain places. There are long spikes and antennas protruding out its sides. It almost looks as if it is moving and breathing.

My heart pounds in my ears and I feel my breath begin to become uneven. What is it? When did it get there?

As I peer further, on the side of the building are three bold letters.

DGD.

The city belonged to them now. Amar and the others failed.

I swallowed hard and wiped my sweating palms on my hands as I continued to look at the giant living spire in the sky. It loomed over the city and when I moved the lenses upward, it seemed as if the clouds were spiraling around the top point.

I looked around on the streets as close as I could. I saw DGD vans, trucks, and cars everywhere. There were more building with their letters on them. I could see citizens, the few of them that walked the streets, move quickly past anything with their symbol.

But what I saw next made my heart drop into my stomach.

On the streets were trucks with large cages made of black metal with citizens inside attached on the back. The hands were gripping outside of them frantically. I couldn't hear anything, but I know from the way they were moving, they were screaming. There were all sizes and shapes. Old, young, women, and children.

One truck followed after another. All toward the spire in the sky.

I broke away from the viewing scopes and held my head in my palms. I could feel myself shaking and I thought the morning muffins and juice I had would come spilling out my mouth. Something wet and salty trailed into my mouth. I realized I was crying again. I felt like all I did was cry.

But I didn't want to. Not anymore.

I looked up and walked back toward the ladder leading down to my sister. When I reached her she said nothing as she looked at me.

"I saw." I choked hoarsely.

She nodded.

"Why?" I asked looking toward the greenhouses. "Why are they doing that to those people?"

"Because" came a deep, blank voice from the greenhouse we entered from "They want to make this world for them. They want to make this world for people like us. Only."

I looked over at Leon who peered up into the ceiling. His arms were folded as usual and his body leaned against the doorframe casually.

"But…that's not…how—they can't!" I shouted.

Leon laughed "Oh yes they can, boy. And they will. It's already happening."

I shook my head and felt the back of my neck and my face begin to burn.

"I won't let it." I growl.

Leon laughed again "Oh? How? With that baby anger of yours?"

"No." I say firmly "I will learn from you."

Natalie rounds on me and stares at me in disbelief.

I stare Leon directly in the eyes for the first time ever. His gaze is intense and burning, but it reminds me something I've felt in my parents. Warmth and safety.

"Are you aware that I am a killer?" He asks darkly moving away from the door and toward me.

I swallow hard and shift back a little as he comes toward me. But that doesn't stop me.

"Yes." I say firmly.

"Is it your wish to learn how to kill those who stand in your way?" He asks again standing next to me and my sister. His body heat engulfs me now and makes my brow sweat.

I pause for a moment. I look over at Natalie who still looks at me as if she's seeing a stranger.

"Well, boy?" Leon growls. His temperature spikes a little and scalds my cheeks.

"No." I say. "That's not my wish. I wish to learn how to protect those who mean most to me. Kill if only necessary."

Leon's nostrils flair up at me and he paces back and forth around me, like a lion preparing to strike. He stops after a few moments, turns his back toward both of us with his arms folded again. I watch him closely as he turns back around with a wide grin.

"Okay." He says.

Time to fight.

**the memories are almost at an end! see you next update**


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